


Return

by LeDiz



Series: The 48: Pokemon [15]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime)
Genre: Consequences, Gen, Out Of The Shadows, Responsibility, not as canon-compliant as I usually like to be, unfinished at the moment
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-18
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:47:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 96,668
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25361878
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LeDiz/pseuds/LeDiz
Summary: This time, Ash is going to be himself. That's a promise he made to Professor Kukui.That's very interesting to some people.
Series: The 48: Pokemon [15]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/525052
Comments: 685
Kudos: 1594





	1. Prologue: The Promise

It started on the beach, back in Alola, watching the sun slowly sink beyond the horizon.

Alolan sunsets sure were beautiful. Even after all these months, Ash still couldn’t get over them. The sky, awash with brilliant reds and yellows, the sound of the waves crashing against his ears, the depths of the ocean resounding against the feelings in his chest. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath of the salty air, letting the energy of Alola fill him completely.

Pallet would always be home, but Alola was something else.

“Hey there, Ash.”

He reopened his eyes and turned to smile at Professor Kukui, wandering across from the path up to the house. “Hey Professor! You’re home early!”

“I have less to do now that the league is finished. And with school wrapping up, I just have my research left,” he explained. “I’m still searching for a summer topic.”

“Not going to go with the Four Move Phenomenon?” he asked, quoting the last project he’d heard the professor going into detail over, but Professor Kukui shook his head.

“After everything that’s happened these last few months, it feels a little pedestrian,” he admitted as he stepped up alongside Ash, and they exchanged grins. “But I’m not sure I want to study something as exciting as the Tapu or Manalo Festival. I think I might talk to some of the Kahuna and see what they think.”

“They’re really great for a little perspective,” Ash said brightly. “Talking to Olivia yesterday really helped settle my mind!”

The professor’s smile faded a little, and he looked out and over the sand to where Ash’s pokemon were playing in their individual ways. Incineroar and Melmetal were stretched out on the sand to sleep and make sand-angels respectively, with Rowlet snoozing on Incineroar’s chest. Pikachu was playing with the lapping shoreline, while Lycanroc was actually out in the water, biting the waves as they came in. They’d spent most of the afternoon training, like always, but Ash hadn’t felt like heading inside once they were done. The breeze had caught his attention, and he’d been letting his mind wander after it.

“Rotom still at Aether Paradise then?” the professor asked, more quietly, and Ash nodded. He wasn’t sure what had changed the professor’s mood, but he could answer simple questions.

“Uh huh. I’m pretty sure it’s going to take the job.”

“I see. It doesn’t want to keep following you, then?”

Ash grinned again, rubbing the back of his neck. “Well, I’m pretty sure it’s still going to go out with the Ultra Guardians, so it will still get to see some really cool Ultra Beasts, and –”

“That’s not what I asked, Ash.”

He stopped, and then looked up, but the moment he caught the professor’s gaze, Professor Kukui winced and held up a hand.

“Sorry. That didn’t come out like I meant it to.”

“Uh… okay?” He hesitated, then smiled and turned away. “I guess it’s fair, though. The point is, Rotomdex won’t be my pokedex anymore. It’s going to follow its dream to become the most advanced pokedex in the world! I think it’ll have a better chance of doing that with Aether Paradise, for sure.”

“Yeah, I guess so,” he said, and then paused again, stuffing his hands in his coat pockets. “So… what about you, then? You know, there’s plenty here for you to do if you wanted to stay.”

And again, Ash stopped. Now he could guess at the professor’s weird mood.

‘If’ he wanted to stay. Somehow, Professor Kukui already knew that Ash was going to leave.

He took a deep breath to keep his voice casual as he asked, “Like what?”

“Traditionally, Champions become leaders of the Pokemon Industry for their region,” the professor reminded him. “They provide advice, protect people and pokemon… and the kahuna have already mentioned that they’d appreciate any help you want to give them. Though,” he added with a wink that was a little too forced, “I think Nanu just wants you to do some of his work for him.”

Ash chuckled. “If he really didn’t like working, he wouldn’t be a police officer as well as the kahuna.”

“You think?”

He shrugged, because he wasn’t sure. He was mostly sure that Nanu liked looking out for people and would never, ever admit it. Ash liked looking out for people too, but it wasn’t like the Kahuna. They’d all been _chosen_. Specifically picked to help people and pokemon, bridging the gaps between one world and another.

Ash had been called the chosen one once or twice, but it always just felt like he was in the right place at the right time.

And right now, it felt like the right time to move on.

“I don’t know how good I’d be at any of that anyway,” he said. “I mean, you know I won a league before? The Orange Islands. It wasn’t like a normal League though – more like the Battle Frontier.”

The professor slowly nodded. “You won that, too, I hear.”

“Yeah…” He hesitated, lifting his arm to look at the ring around his wrist, and the crystal that hadn’t yet gone back to its original shape. The crystal felt real. The battle had felt real. But he wasn’t… the Championship still didn’t feel real. “Did I ever tell you what happened at my first League? Back in Kanto?”

He paused, then turned to look at him directly. Ash couldn’t look away from his Z-ring.

“I got through to the Top Eight. In the Indigo League, there were heaps and heaps of competitors, so I’d had a couple of matches before then. But some stuff happened with Team Rocket before my next match, and I barely made it on time. They almost disqualified me.”

“Like your match with Hau,” he noted, and Ash winced. It wasn’t exactly the same, but it kind of was, too. Depending on how you looked at it.

“By the time I got to the stadium, all my pokemon were exhausted, except for one: my charizard,” he said. “We’re great friends now, and its one of my most powerful partners. But back then… I hadn’t trained it right, and it didn’t trust me. When I sent it out to battle, Charizard… Charizard decided to go to sleep.”

He felt more than saw Professor Kukui rock his weight back in realisation, but didn’t bother to acknowledge it.

“It wasn’t a move, or a status effect. It was just Charizard going to sleep. The referee called the match,” he said, and then paused for a few moments before lifting his head to look down the beach toward Rowlet. “In Kanto, those are the rules. In Kanto… Hau would have won that match.”

Kukui took a long deep breath before pointing out, “But we’re not in Kanto.”

“No, but…”

“We’re not in Kanto, Ash,” he said again, more firmly. “And I’m not sure even you would have brought Rowlet to a Kanto League match.”

“Huh?” He jerked around to look at him, but the professor just raised an eyebrow in response.

“Would you?”

He frowned, really considering the question. _Would_ he have taken Rowlet to a Kanto League match? He’d taken Charizard, despite their lack of bond. But he’d done a lot of dumb things in the Indigo League. He’d been a bit more strategic in the Johto League… and then Sinnoh… he’d battled really strategically in Sinnoh. Really _competitively_. He’d _earned_ every single win at the Sinnoh Conference.

He’d tried to be a little different in Unova, and even though he slid back in the rankings, he still felt proud of what he’d done there. He’d learned a lot about building teams and finding balance. He’d also learned a lot about what made him a good trainer, even when he was different to other people.

In Kalos, he made it all the way to the finals, but… he kind of felt like he lost his drive to compete somewhere around his seventh or eighth badge. There had been other things happening. More important things. He hadn’t… _wanted_ it as much by the time the Conference came around.

Each Conference since Johto had been different. He’d gone at them differently. But if he had to compare Alola and Kanto… it was like night and day.

Alola didn’t even have six on six battles until the very end.

Only his battle against Guzma had been a _fight_.

The battle against Hau…

That hadn’t even been his battle. It was Rowlet’s. As far as Ash was concerned, it had never been a choice to include Rowlet or not – it was just what had to happen.

The thing was, Ash had known he had to battle Guzma. He _had_ to. He needed to defend Professor Kukui’s dream. So he couldn’t afford to lose the match to Hau. And yet, even though he’d been one hundred percent sure that Rowlet wasn’t ready, that Rowlet wasn’t focussed, that Rowlet was going to fail…

He’d still taken Rowlet into the match. Because it was what Rowlet needed to do.

Rowlet had won, in the end. Ash still wasn’t sure it deserved it.

He wasn’t sure that _he_ deserved it.

But at the same time… Professor Kukui was right: this was Alola.

In Alola, Ash… hadn’t really been driven by his own goals. He’d let Alola guide him. Let his friends guide him. His pokemon, Naganadel, Lillie, Gladion, Professor Kukui… all of his adventures had been focussed on helping them. Doing all that, and then not letting Rowlet face off against its rival because it was bad strategy would have been _wrong_.

If he could do the Kanto League again, he would make different choices, sure. But this hadn’t been a do-over of the Indigo Conference. It had been the Manalo Conference.

“Manalo,” he said softly. “You and I are living here together.”

“Hm?” Professor Kukui prompted, and Ash felt his shoulders sag with a bit of relief.

He hadn’t thought anything of the Conference name before – he never did. Silver, Ever Grande, whatever, they were just names. But Manalo… it was about sharing. Everyone working together.

That was what Alola was all about.

If a Champion was supposed to be the end result of their Conference… he was pretty proud of being the Manalo Champion.

“So… what choices will you make there, then?”

He blinked and look up at Professor Kukui again. “Huh?”

“When you go back to Kanto,” he clarified. “That’s your plan, right? To go home?”

He stared at him. How could he possibly know that? He’d only decided last night! “Rotom told you already? When?”

“No,” Professor Kukui gave him a strange, lop-sided smile. “Honestly, I always knew you’d leave after the Conference.”

Ash frowned. This felt... strange, somehow. “How come?”

“It’s what you do, isn’t it?”

It sounded so short and blunt that Ash flinched, but the professor grabbed his shoulder almost immediately, dragging him back the inch he’d moved.

“Sorry, that came out harsh again,” he said. “It’s not a bad thing. It’s just… you’re a traveller. You come to a new place, you learn as much as you can, you do everything that place needs, and then you go.”

He… Ash lowered his head slightly, silently acknowledging the fact. It just sounded so selfish, hearing it out loud like that. “Sorry if I’ve caused you a lot of trouble these last few months.”

The professor chuckled. “Every little bit of trouble was paid back a hundred times in great experiences, Ash. Trouble is what makes life interesting!”

He had to laugh. “It sure does!”

They grinned at each other, and Professor Kukui stepped back, his hand falling onto his hip instead. “You know, Ash, I’d like to think you’ve really learned a lot here in Alola. But I think there’s still one more lesson you need to learn.”

“Yeah?” he asked, and the professor nodded.

“So when you go back to Kanto, I’m giving you some homework!”

“Homework?”

“That’s right. So you don’t forget what you’ve learned here in Alola!”

Ash blinked again, not following. He hadn’t been given any homework when he left normal school… “Okay… what is it?”

“On your next adventure,” he began, “I already know you’re going to make some great friends, and I know you’ll help a lot of people. But this time, I want you to try something new.”

“Something new?”

“This time, I want you,” The professor paused, leaning down a little to better meet Ash’s eyes, “to try being _honest_.”

Ash flinched again, immediately defensive despite himself. “Hey, I don’t –”

“I’m not saying you lie,” he said quickly, “but you and I both know there’s a lot of stuff you don’t tell people. For example, if someone asked you if you know about the Manalo Conference in Alola, what would you say?”

Ash’s frown deepened, because as much as he didn’t want to admit it, he knew his answer would just prove the professor’s point. He’d probably say he was there. He’d probably say it was fun.

He probably wouldn’t say he’d won.

It didn’t help that the professor smiled sadly like he knew what Ash was thinking. “And if someone mentioned Solgaleo, what would you say?”

He pressed his lips together. He’d probably just say it was such a cool pokemon, if he said anything at all.

“Uh huh. And how about if someone asked you… why you look so upset right now?”

“I’m not –!” Ash stopped, then ducked his head, because what he’d been about to say wouldn’t have helped his argument. He sighed. “I just… I don’t like being called a liar.”

“I know,” he said, and knelt down in front of him, so Ash couldn’t really avoid his gaze. Ash always kind of hated when Professor Kukui did that, even if it made a strange, deep part of him feel kind of warm. Especially when the professor gave him a soft, knowing smile like he was doing now. “But I don’t think it’s helping anyone if you hide the truth just to seem like you’re not lying. Kind of defeats the purpose, don’t you think?”

He scratched his cheek, wishing the bill of his cap was wider. He missed being able to hide behind it.

“ _Manalo_ , Ash. You and I are living here together. We share this world together,” Professor Kukui reminded him. “Sometimes, sharing means trusting people, even when it’s hard. If people don’t believe you, then that’s their problem. Remember that Burnet and I, your friends here, everyone… we will _always_ believe you. We always have.”

He could feel tears burning behind his eyes, and he pre-emptively shoved at them, hating that the movement only made a drop of liquid squeeze out. “I know. Everyone has been so amazing.”

“And remember, you will always be _our_ Manalo Champion,” Professor Kukui said firmly. “So that’s who I want you to be. Wherever you are, wherever you go, be the Champion we all know you are. Show the world what being a Manalo Champion is. Share everything that you are. Because we want to share everything we have, and that includes the best trainer we have ever seen. Our Manalo Champion. Not someone he thinks he needs to act like.”

Tears cascaded down his cheeks, but Ash choked them back with a firm nod and a broad grin. “Okay, Professor. I’ll try.”

It wasn’t going to be easy, but nothing important ever was.

This time, for the first time in a really, really long time, Ash was going to try being himself.

That was, really, how it started.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know what I need right now? Some simple, soft, strong heroics. I need bad guys and good guys and short chapters and some room to play. How about you? Want to come play Pokemon fics with me?


	2. Understanding (and/or Relationships)

“So, not even home for ten days and already on a new adventure. You sure know how to motivate Ash, Professor Oak!”

Oak blanched, his head jerking around to stare at Delia. “Oh, come now. You can’t blame me for this. If I’d wanted Ash to become anyone’s research fellow I would have offered him a job myself! Heaven knows Tracey and I aren’t able to get any field research done with everything else we do.”

“Mmhm. And I suppose it’s just a coincidence that you decided to bring him along to the opening of a lab that didn’t yet have any field staff?”

Mimey looked up at the two humans curiously, trying to gauge their emotions.

As a species, Mr Mimes were generally considered quite intelligent as pokemon went, and Mimey knew that he was considered a particularly good example. While other pokemon were easily distracted by food or battle, Mimey preferred the sense and order of the wider human world, particularly the order of a well-kept house. That carried the side-effect of dealing with humans on a fairly regular basis. He’d gotten to understand them pretty well.

For example, although he knew he technically belonged to Ash, and was always happy to join the wider team for training when there wasn’t housework to do, he knew his ‘job’ was taking care of Delia. It was his job to watch out for her, keep her company, help her out, and generally be the companion that Ash wasn’t able to be.

Eventually, he’d realised that Delia didn’t really need taking care of. What she needed was reassurance that _Ash_ was being looked after. Because it was obvious he didn’t look after himself, and Pikachu only encouraged him.

She’d been much happier lately, knowing she could visit Ash at any time, and that he had Professor Kukui to look after him. She liked being able to pretend that all he really had to worry about was school and pokemon battles, and not the big pokemon Pikachu told Mimey about whenever they talked.

She was still smiling, but as they followed Ash and the new humans up the stairs, Mimey knew Delia was definitely _not_ happy about this ‘research fellow’ thing. She hadn’t been happy from the moment the glasses-wearing human grabbed Ash’s shoulders.

If Delia wasn’t happy, then Mimey wasn’t happy.

“I didn’t think it would come up,” Oak insisted. “After all, what kind of professor opens a new research laboratory for business without field staff? I thought for sure he would have students already! I just brought Ash along to see if he was any more interested in academia after his time at the Pokemon School!”

They paused at the top of the stairs, looking down the hall to where Ash and the other humans had stopped in front of a door. As the glasses-wearing human pushed it open, Delia looked back at Oak.

“Do you think it will be alright? People don’t normally make such a fuss when Ash mentions pokemon speaking to him,” she said. “And to have offered him a job so quickly… not even a question about his experience? I didn’t think Ash was that famous.”

“I know it all seems a little convenient,” Oak admitted, “Professor Cerise is very interested in the myths and rumours of the Pokemon World, many of which Ash is at the very heart of. But he’s a good man. A little presumptuous, and I won’t deny opportunistic, but I very much doubt he means any harm to the boy.”

Mimey tilted his head, judging the slight shift of Delia’s shoulders as she absorbed that information.

“It wouldn’t be fair of me to ask whether he’ll take advantage, would it?”

Oak grimaced and didn’t answer, while Delia sighed. She led the way down the hall to join everyone in what turned out to be a bedroom, where Ash was just proclaiming ‘live in’ to be the best, whatever that meant. By the time Mimey had actually managed to follow Delia into the room, Ash was already arguing with the other boy about who would get top bunk.

Obviously, Ash had found a solution to the ‘big commute’. He would be staying here. The other pokemon would be a little annoyed he didn’t say goodbye, but they’d be happy to know he was still close, and at least it looked like he would have fun here!

“Alright, if that’s how it’s gonna be!” Delia said brightly, and then bent down to Mimey’s height. “Mimey?”

He looked at her, already knowing what the question would be. Even if Ash was going to have fun, it was important he had someone to look after him. If Mimey was any judge of Delia and Oak’s conversation, the man in glasses was maybe going to ‘take advantage’ of his trainer. That would make Delia sad.

“Would you mind looking after Ash for me, please?”

He smiled broadly and thumped his fist against his chest. Of course he’d look after him! And besides, from the look of this house, it was in pretty desperate need of someone keeping the whole place in order!

Mimey would keep things going right!

* * *

It wasn’t something Ash spent a lot of time thinking about, but so many people in Alola had talked about feelings and energy that he’d kind of fallen into a bit of a habit of noticing it. Energy, that is.

Energies were something he’d ignored for a long time – something he’d kind of learned not to mention too much. Before he went to Alola, at best people told him it was a kind of Aura power. At worst, people called him crazy, or said he was just looking for attention. But in Alola, energy was just… something people talked about. Maybe more metaphorically than he did, but they didn’t even blink when he mentioned it, so it was basically the same.

So he’d let himself notice it again. Where before he’d taken moments to enjoy the sun on his face or the wind in the trees, now he would let himself sink into them, feeling the energy in the light and shadows, the feelings in the wind, the emotions of the creatures around him.

But tonight, lying in his new bed, petting Pikachu’s back and staring up at the bunk above, Ash found himself listening to a different kind of energy. It was kind of distracting.

At first, he’d thought it was the house. The Cerise Institute was a funny kind of place. Both old and new – the lab was so high-tech, but the house was made of old wood, and there was something so _tired_ about it. Mimey thought it was just the lack of care and was already rushing around, making plans to clean everything from top to bottom. But Ash was sure there was something else. Not just the age or the disrepair, but something… there was something almost frustrated in this building.

But as the house fell still and Ash’s attention drifted, he realised there was something else, too.

Goh.

Goh was kind of weird.

No, scratch that, Goh was _super_ weird. Planning to make his first pokemon _Mew_? Ash had never met a Mew with a trainer, and honestly he couldn’t imagine trying to train one. They were just so… He couldn’t think of the words to explain it. There were plenty of wild, uncontrollable pokemon, but Mew was…

Every mew was their own kind of incredible creature, and Ash couldn’t imagine catching one.

But his imagination didn’t matter, at the end of the day. If Goh believed he could catch Mew, then he absolutely could! Ash was absolutely going to cheer him on.

Of course, catching Mew was going to be pretty hard without any other pokemon, but Goh seemed determined, and heck knew Ash had done crazier stuff, so why not?

But that wasn’t the only thing that made Goh weird.

Lying here in the dark, staring up at the bunk, Ash realised that Goh felt kind of… spiky.

He blinked as the realisation hit him. That was it. Goh’s energy felt like it was covered in tiny needles, bristling against the world. It kind of made Ash want to reach out and stroke it; smooth it down into something soft. He wondered if he could. Did energy work like that?

His lips pressed together at a sudden memory of his first meeting with Bulbasaur.

It was a weird thought. It had literally nothing to do with Goh or even anything that had happened that day. Goh didn’t even _look_ like Bulbasaur. There was no reason to think of it.

Ah, he was probably just tired and being weird again.

He closed his eyes and tried to ignore the spiky feeling above him, instead focussing on the warm hum of Pikachu’s electricity.

He smiled, and went to sleep dreaming of new adventures.

* * *

In the end, it wasn’t just the Institute or Goh that was weird. The whole lifestyle of being a research fellow was strange. Ash wasn’t really sure whether he and Goh should think of themselves as independent or not.

They were the only ones that lived at the Institute. Professor Cerise, Ren, and Chrysa all went home every night, while Chloe was only there in the mornings and afternoons of school days. But there were cleaners that had come through every night until they moved in (at which point Mimey declared them its mortal enemies. Now they tended to stick to the ‘public’ areas while Mimey cleaned the dorms, laundry, and bathrooms), and every weekday meal was taken care of by mysterious people that came in a big white van to stock the cafeteria. There were enough leftovers to carry them through the weekend, too.

“This is what it’s like in a professional research institute!” Goh said when Ash questioned it. “We’re doing important work that will impact the whole world! Of course our every need gets sponsored!”

“Sponsored, huh?” Ash repeated thoughtfully, looking back at all the food they’d picked their breakfasts from.

“Why are you so surprised? You came here with Professor Oak, didn’t you?” asked Goh. “You gotta know how research works.”

“Huh? Oh, I dunno. Professor Oak usually just eats at Mom’s café,” he said, picking up his toast again. “And either Professor Kukui or Professor Burnet cooked for the family. But I guess we never lived in an institute.”

Goh looked at him curiously for a moment, his eyebrows doing an odd dance as he apparently decided between things to question. In the end, he asked, “How can you know so many professors but not have any idea how research works?”

For a moment, Ash balked, caught between reactions. If Iris had asked him that question, he would have puffed up and defended himself, pointing out that it wasn’t like he asked everyone he met how they got their breakfast. Whereas if someone like Bonnie had asked, he would have just shrugged and explained that he usually wasn’t involved in research, so he’d never really learned what a researcher’s life was really like. He usually just helped them out and left within a few hours.

But that would be… he knew that either reaction would kind of be that not-lying thing Professor Kukui had asked him to not do this time. Switching his reply to match what the other person wanted.

He didn’t know Goh that well yet. He _suspected_ Goh would probably prefer the latter.

But it wouldn’t really be _true_ , would it? Not… not really _honest_.

So he took a breath and said, “Well, most of the researchers I talk to, we’re either just talking about the thing they’re researching, or it’s not really about work at all. It’s just hanging out with friends or family. So I guess I never really thought too much about how they do the stuff they do.”

Goh pulled his head back with a wide-eyed blink, then smiled slightly and nodded. “I guess that makes sense. And your mom seemed pretty close with Professor Oak too. Is he like a family friend?”

Ash relaxed slightly, relieved by the easy reaction. He nodded. “Kinda! They’ve gotten pretty close the last couple years. How about you and Professor Cerise? You’ve known Chloe a while, right?”

“Sure have. She and I have been friends for years! Professor Cerise has always been really impressed by my research,” he said, and pulled his shoulders back, jerking his thumb at his own chest. “Like I said, I’ve been waiting for him to ask me to be his assistant for ages! I always knew I’d end up working for him like this! With my research skills and drive, I’m sure to help Professor Cerise uncover all sorts of new and exciting information about the world of pokemon!”

Ash chuckled. He loved passionate people – they were so much more fun to be around! “Sure sounds like it! We’re gonna have loads of fun! Together, I bet there’s no mystery we can’t solve!”

“Right!”

They grinned at each other before tucking back into breakfast, and Ash felt his shoulders relax a little more.

This honesty thing was turning out a whole lot easier than he expected. He could totally do this, for sure!

* * *

He was… slightly less sure a few days later, when they were all having lunch together and Ren said, “So Ash, I’ve been meaning to ask. How _exactly_ do you understand pokemon?”

Chrysa had just taken a mouthful and choked, while Professor Cerise paused but didn’t actually stop eating. Ignoring everyone else’s reactions, Ren clarified, “Is it clear words, like telepathy? Or do you just know their languages? I notice you find it easier with Pikachu and Mr Mime than you do Scorbunny or any of the bug types.”

Ash wasn’t exactly caught off guard, but he couldn’t say he’d been expecting the question, so he knew his laugh probably sounded a little awkward, and he rubbed the back of his neck as he debated the best way to answer. They didn’t think he was crazy. They all believed him when he tried to translate for pokemon. He was pretty sure Professor Cerise had decided to offer him the fellowship because he’d mentioned Lugia’s voice. Mentioning it hadn’t been a mistake. This was _fine_.

“Um, that’s probably just ’cause I know them better, y’know?” he suggested. “It’s not like actual words or anything, though that’d be super cool!”

“I’ve heard there are people who learn to understand pokemon speech through lots of intensive practice,” Chrysa said, offering Ash a brief supportive smile before looking at Ren with a weirdly focussed expression. “It must be very difficult to learn the patterns and rhythms to be able to make sense of what can be very short sounds.”

“Well, that’s why I was curious!” he said, practically ignoring her look as he stared at Ash. “Mr Mime at least helps by miming his words, but I’ve had Francois for years and I’ve never understood a single ‘mag’ let alone ‘nemite’!”

Ash laughed again, because that was kinda funny. Goh, on the other hand, leaned back a little with a frown.

“It is pretty incredible. I’ve been meaning to ask about how it was with Lugia – I thought maybe I just didn’t notice, but I’ve reviewed the footage and it didn’t make a single sound outside of attacking. So what you heard must have been a kind of telepathy, right?”

“Um, I guess,” he said slowly. It kind of was, and it kind of wasn’t. Pokemon made sounds, sure. But Ash had never really relied on that to understand what any of his partners were trying to say. He’d tried to explain it a couple of times, but never had a lot of success, because it was just… Brock had always just said it came with time and experience, but over his ‘time’, Ash had realised his ‘experience’ didn’t quite match up with everyone else’s. “I mean, Lugia definitely used some kind of telepathy to make me pay attention, sure. But it wasn’t like real telepathy, with like words and stuff.”

“Real telepathy?” Professor Cerise repeated, lowering his fork. “You mean, when human language is spoken directly into the mind?”

“Yeah. That’s…” Just try it, he reminded himself. If they didn’t believe you, that’s their problem. He smiled to bolster himself and continued, “I mean, it’s different than like, when I talk to Pikachu and Mimey. That’s more just knowing what they mean, you know? But usually when a pokemon uses telepathy it’s like actual words. With Lugia, it wasn’t words, but kind of just a ‘let’s go!’ feeling, you know?”

“Fascinating,” Cerise murmured, while Ren closed his eyes, mouth flattening out into a confused grimace, and Chrysa gave her research partner an unimpressed look. Ash wasn’t sure why she didn’t seem to like him bringing up the question when everyone else looked okay with it.

Goh looked over to where the pokemon were eating from their own bowls. “Is that what it’s like with Pikachu and Mr Mime? Feelings?”

“Kind of?” He winced, scratching his cheek. “With Pikachu I think it’s just that we’ve been together for a really long time. And I mean, Mimey gives loads of hints!”

“Hints, huh? I sure don’t catch them,” he said dryly, but Ash laughed.

“I’m sure it’ll start making sense eventually! You’ve only just become a pokemon trainer, Goh! I bet you’ll know exactly what your pokemon mean in no time!”

“I wonder about that,” Ren said, and they all looked at him again, Chrysa’s eyes widening and gaining an even more pointed stare, but he either didn’t notice or ignored it. “I mean, even putting aside the fact that I’ve had Francois for years and still need context clues to know what it wants, Goh plans to catch hundreds of pokemon. That’s very different to most trainers.”

“Oh! _That’s_ what you’re talking about. Okay,” Chrysa said, her gaze softening and shifting over to Goh. “It’s fairly normal to get to know your pokemon and what they want if you’ve spent a lot of time with them, so of course you’ll probably learn to understand Scorbunny, to some extent. But you’ll probably find it a bit harder with the bug types and other pokemon you might catch. A partner is different.”

“You think so?” he asked, and the adults all nodded while Ash picked up his sandwich again, refocussing on his food.

“It’s like the kids at school,” Professor Cerise said. “You know Chloe very well, and got to know her habits and quirks, right?”

Goh frowned, nodding once. “Yeah, of course. We’ve known each other for years.”

“But there were some kids in your class that you’d known just as long, right? Like Danny, and Roger?”

Ash looked at Goh sideways, wondering who Danny and Roger were, but Goh looked just as blank as he felt. Except he nodded again. “Yeah…”

“But even though you’ve known them for a long time, you never really got to know them that well, because you didn’t spend as much time together,” Professor Cerise explained, his tone kind but carefully patient, like he was reminding him of something obvious. “It will be the same with your pokemon. It’s impossible to get to know hundreds of pokemon on a personal level. But there will be some pokemon that you’ll spend more time with. They’ll become what some trainers call their ‘team’. I wouldn’t be surprised if you start to get to know what your team members mean when they speak to you.”

That sounded a lot more like what Brock always explained to their friends, so Ash smiled and nodded along. Besides, it was pretty true, too – he loved all his pokemon, but it would be a lie if he said he was as close to all of his tauros as he was to say, Buizel, or Bulbasaur. He’d never really gotten that close to Mimey, either, but they were already working on that.

“You’re already getting it with Scorbunny, right?” Ash prompted. “Like, you know the difference between when it wants your attention just because it wants it, and when it actually needs something, right?”

Goh blinked, then looked down at his plate. He frowned again. “I guess.”

“And you guys have only been partners for a week!” he pointed out. “That’s so fast. You guys are really going to be a great team.”

“But… it’ll be different with the bug pokemon?” he asked, and the others shrugged.

“And any other pokemon you catch. It’s not a bad thing, Goh,” Professor Cerise said gently. “You’ll have different relationships with everyone you meet. People and pokemon. And you’ll communicate with them in different ways. Figuring out those relationships, and seeing them change, is part of growing up.”

He looked up at him, then around at Ash, before lowering his eyes back to his plate. “I guess…”

Ash shoved the last of his sandwich in his mouth, considering Goh’s profile. It was always cool watching new pokemon trainers learn, even if it could get kind of frustrating sometimes. Everyone was different.

He’d never had a friend like Goh before – when he’d first started out, Ash had dreamed of owning every single kind of pokemon there was, or at least every pokemon in the Kanto region. But he’d quickly realised that he didn’t want to do what Goh was doing. He’d really hated catching Krabby and seeing its pokeball disappear right out of his hand. He’d struggled with not having access to his full team in Unova too, even though he’d actively been trying to learn a different kind of strategy there, trying to be competitive. What he’d long since realised was that he wanted friends, not a collection. So catching huge amounts of pokemon just didn’t work for him.

But Goh didn’t think like that. Each of his catches was a triumph – a step on his journey to Mew. And he wasn’t a bad trainer – he took good care of his pokemon, letting them roam free, feeding them, talking to them. Ash couldn’t help but think the Institute felt more like a safari park than a family, but it didn’t seem like a bad thing.

But then Goh’s spiky energy flared, and he looked up at Ash with furrowed brows. “Lugia isn’t part of your team, though.”

Oh. Yeah. That was how they got onto this topic.

“We were friends for a while there though, right?” he asked. “You felt that too.”

“I felt the weird energy right before Lugia blasted the water out of the way,” he corrected. “I wouldn’t call that friendship.”

Well… no… but… Ash grinned, shrugging again. “I dunno. It’s just what I felt. I thought you, me, Pikachu, and Lugia were all kinda friends in that moment. And friends understand each other. Right?”

Goh hummed, his energy bristling. Once again, Ash felt the weird urge to pat it down, but he made do with a laugh. “Well, at least a _little_. But learning to understand is the really fun part of making new friends, right?”

He smirked. “I dunno if I understand you, yet,” he said, but then leaned back in with narrowed eyes and a finger pointing at Ash’s face. “But I’ll work it out, just you wait!”

Man, Goh really was gonna be a lot of fun! “Sure! And I’ll do my best to figure you out too, Goh!”

Ren laughed, and Chrysa smiled gently, but when Ash looked over it was to see Professor Cerise watching them with a weird expression. He was smiling, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes until he noticed Ash’s glance. Then he turned to look around the table at everyone. “You know, I just realised we never really celebrated Goh and Ash joining the team! So I propose a toast: to the formation of the first full research team of the Cerise Institute!”

“Hear, hear!” Ren cried, grabbing up his drink and lifting it, and Chrysa giggled but followed suit. Ash and Goh exchanged grins and snatched their own drinks, and the entire team clinked their glasses together.

“To the Cerise Institute research team!”

“Let’s all look forward to learning together,” Professor Cerise said, and Ash could definitely drink to that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You are all far too kind and expecting way too much, for the record.


	3. (Don't ask) Questions

Watching him puzzle through how to explain the energy used in dynamaxing, Ren decided he definitely liked Ash.

He’d assumed he would, of course. He was young and enthusiastic, and despite looking like the sort of kid that had teased Ren mercilessly as a child, he’d been nothing but polite and showed genuine interest in the aspects of research he didn’t understand. But he was still a loud, energetic jock, so Ren had kind of been waiting to discover some obnoxious smugness under a veil of publicly appropriate kindness.

Instead, he’d found a confident kid that knew his limits, but was trying to push past them. Academia, it turned out, was one of those limits.

“I just… I don’t know the words,” he’d said when Chrysa realised he’d been staring at a blank notebook for literal hours. “Goh’s so good at this stuff! He can use all these big words, and make everything into numbers, and he sounds so smart when he writes it all down. But even when I know exactly what I need to say, I try and write it down and my head just freezes up. My brain goes all grrk! And every bone in my body is all acckk! And –”

“Grrk? Ack?” Ren repeated blankly, and Ash stopped, then winced.

“Yeah.”

“And that’s all you can come out with,” Chrysa surmised, and exchanged glances with Ren. They kind of knew what he meant. Ren used to feel like that when he had to give presentations at school. Your brain felt like it was literally encased in something solid, and every bone suddenly felt about an inch too long for the joints, the muscles around them no longer flexing.

He now knew it was because of adrenaline and the fear response, so it was strangely comforting to know someone with Ash’s reputation could still react like that.

“You know what,” Ren said, lifting a finger, “I don’t think we need it.”

“I’m sorry?” Chrysa asked, while Ash blinked.

“Huh?”

“Look, the things you’re going to give us insight into aren’t going to be something you can explain with numbers. And I bet you don’t know the technical term for a psychic non-linguistic pulse—”

“A what?”

“—so it’s not like anything you’d put in a report could be copy and pasted into our articles,” he continued, and then turned to look at Chrysa. “Let Goh write that kind of stuff. I think we’ll get a lot better information out of Ash just by interviewing him and writing the notes ourselves.”

It was generally working out pretty well. It was a lot faster than having Ash angst over empty notebooks, anyway. But it could still be occasionally frustrating. It wasn’t easy to translate ‘like ooooh-ka-POW!’ into ‘the subject begins to feel intense build up and…’ without it becoming repetitive – or, quite frankly, inappropriate for a scientific discussion on battle technique. But Ash was trying to be helpful, and they were trying to understand, so everyone kept at it.

Dynamaxing, however, was proving difficult for even Ash to explain.

“Probably ’cause it wasn’t my pokemon,” he said, folding his arms with a huff. “Snorlax was wild, so I dunno what it’s like normally.”

“I thought you had a snorlax,” Ren said, leaning over to check his notes about Ash’s full roster, but Ash shook his head.

“No, I don’t mean what _a_ snorlax is like. I mean what _that_ snorlax is normally like. You know, how it feels and stuff.”

He didn’t know, but he could roll with it. “Well, was there anything that changed during the dynamax process? When it was physically growing?”

“Hmm…” Ash closed his eyes with a frown, obviously thinking about it. “I dunno… dynamax is so… hmm.”

Ren absently tapped his pen against his tablet, trying to find the right angle to prompt him from, but eventually, Ash looked up again, his jaw clenched, and took a deep breath before saying, “It feels hotter.”

“Hotter? That’s interesting – I don’t think I’ve ever heard it described as heat,” he said, but Ash shook his head again before he could even start writing it down.

“No, not like – not like fire. Hotter like… like you know when people get mad? When they’re like, angry and all clenched up and _arghhh_ ,” he growled, holding up flexed fists with hunched shoulders. “That always feels kind of… hot. But not like heat-hot. Like… like electricity hot. Only not as fast. That’s what dynamaxing feels like to me. It feels like electrical fire, and anger, and – and I mean, Snorlax was sleeping, so it wasn’t angry, but it was that same kind of energy. Except it came from the ground. It was like the ground was yelling up to the sky and Snorlax was helping it get there. Like grrrrr- _rarghh_! You know?”

Ren blinked, and Ash paused, then winced and fell back into his shoulders.

“I mean… that’s… what it felt like,” he said, a little quieter.

Not for the first time, Ren had to bite down on a million questions.

When he and Chrysa had asked why Professor Cerise would hire a kid off the street just because he was stupid enough to jump on Lugia’s back and claim it spoke to him, the professor had admitted it had more to do with rumours than anything definite. He’d shown them a dozen articles from other Pokemon Professors that cited Ash as a key trainer. He’d told them all about the stories that flew around his name. Half-baked retellings of a boy that could do impossible things with pokemon. A boy whose appearance in a region was a quiet portent of change and excitement. Who always seemed to be there when legendary or mythical pokemon were publicly sighted. He was almost a pokemon mystery in and of himself.

Professor Cerise wasn’t the type of person that let chances like that pass him by.

While Ren and Chrysa were both excited to find out more, Chrysa argued that Ash was a colleague, and they shouldn’t treat him like a research study. Which Ren totally agreed with. But he was still _insanely_ curious when Ash came out with things like this.

“What about evolution?” he asked instead. “Do you ever feel any kind of energy when a pokemon evolves?”

Ash jerked, staring at him blankly for a second, then seemed to slump, smiling broadly. But it quickly faded as he looked up and off to the side, considering the question. “Yeah. But it’s nothing like this. I mean, mega-evolution is closer, but it’s totally not the same either. That's more like from in here, while evolution is like all that. This was definitely from the ground.”

Ren physically bit down on his lip and forced himself not to ask. “Okay. Let’s keep it to the dynamaxing for now. Electrical fire, you said?”

* * *

Although he mostly only dealt with Jessie, James, and Meowth (and Wobbuffet, but honestly, did Wobbuffet count?), Ash was aware that there were more Team Rocket members.

There were those two people that Jessie and James didn’t like… the woman with the hair thingies and the guy whose name was super hard for even other people to remember. There was the science guy from Unova. Ash was pretty sure he was a thing, though he didn’t really remember him that well. That girl that could do the flippy stuff – actually there were a few of them, but there was the one Brock had fallen in love with and the sisters from Johto, specifically. Oh, and all the mean, black-wearing people that hid their faces under low caps and didn’t say much except “Yes sir!”

And the boss. Ash didn’t like to remember the boss.

So he knew Team Rocket was a big organisation. He was pretty sure he wasn’t the only one who had to deal with them all the time. But it was still weird to hear about them causing problems for other people.

“Well, I think it’s Team Rocket. That’s part of the problem – I’m not even sure it’s an actual attack,” Norman said wearily, rubbing the back of his head. “I know someone is trying to get into my gym, and that they’re bothering the pokemon, but I never arrive in time to catch anyone. I was thinking it might just be some kids in the neighbourhood, but the last time it happened, I found a bad whip burn on Slaking. I’m done taking chances.”

Ash frowned. Slaking was no pushover, so anyone capable of hurting it…

He and Goh had been on their way back to the train station after the Battle Frontier Flute Cup, Goh marvelling over how different battle was than he’d thought, when Ash was pulled up short by a familiar call of his name. He was shocked to recognise Norman running up to him – they weren’t in Petalburg.

Norman was the Petalburg Gym Leader, and the father of May and Max, two of Ash’s former travelling companions. Goh had gotten oddly quiet and fidgety when he heard that, but hadn’t objected to Norman offering to buy them dinner. But he’d gotten even more awkward when Norman explained he’d been in the audience at the Flute Cup and had been trying to get away from various reporters and commentators all day, just trying to talk to Ash.

Apparently, he wanted a favour.

“Is Slaking okay?” Ash asked, and he nodded.

“Of course. I took it to Nurse Joy and she patched it right up.”

“That’s good,” he said. “What about the rest of your pokemon? Have any of them gotten hurt?”

“Not that I noticed, but I do think they’re been battling,” he said. “They’re a lot more tired recently, but of course it’s not like any of them could tell me why.”

Goh was looking at Ash from the corner of his eye, but all Ash could do was shrug back. Stuff like this happened sometimes.

In return, Goh gave him an annoyed frown and squared his shoulders as he turned back to Norman. “So you’d like Ash to help you understand them?”

“What?” Ash asked, trying not to look too shocked. He knew he wasn’t exactly great with social niceties, but he was pretty sure Goh had just implied a _gym leader_ couldn’t understand his pokemon.

But maybe he hadn’t, because Norman just chuckled and shook his head. “No, nothing like that. No, Ash, I was hoping you might lend us one of your team.”

“Huh?” he asked, switching back to stare at Norman, who smiled humourlessly.

“These… whatever-they-are are starting to impact my gym battles. My pokemon are distracted, stressed, and tired. That means they can’t put their all into our battles with challengers,” he explained. “If it was a consistent problem, I’d hire some local trainers, have them camp out for a few days, and catch the people responsible. But it’s not. So I need someone who can stick around for maybe even weeks at a time. I’d ask May to come home for a while, but the Contest season just started, and if this _is_ Team Rocket, I’m going to need a pokemon trained for hard battle. And since I can’t promise there will always be a human there to give direction, I need a pokemon that can work independently. From what May and Max tell me, your pokemon are pretty resourceful even when you’re not there to tell them what to do.”

“That’s… I mean, my pokemon are always good in a pinch, but…” Ash looked down at Pikachu, sitting in his lap, and then over at Mimey. It had been sitting at the end of the table, eating an invisible plate of food and ignoring the conversation, but it met Ash’s glance easily. It raised both hands in a shrug, and then gave him a dark smirk and mimed a twig in its mouth. He frowned, lowering his gaze back to Pikachu. “What do you think?”

Pikachu folded its arms and bowed its head, thinking hard. “Pii-kaaa…”

His pokemon _were_ good in a pinch. They’d all learned enough and been in enough unstructured battles to know how to handle themselves whether he was there or not. But that didn’t mean Ash was comfortable putting them in danger alone. Especially not when someone was attacking a _gym_. Even if it was Team Rocket, they had to be either really stupid or really strong to even try it! He didn't want any of his friends taking that kind of risk.

But he’d already promised to work for Professor Cerise. It had only been a couple of weeks – he couldn’t just leave to help Norman, especially if it did just turn out to be some dumb kids trying to get a cool pokemon as their partner.

Loaning out one of his heavy hitters _would_ be better…

“Of course, it would be ideal if you could loan us one Max knows,” said Norman. “You know he’d spoil them silly. But anyone you could spare would be a great help.”

At the reminder of his friend, Ash looked up again. “How is Max handling it? He’s not trying to catch these bad guys himself, right?”

“We’re trying to keep him focussed on school, but without his sister’s theatrics, I’m afraid he’s picking up the detective habit,” he said with an embarrassed grin. “That’s the other reason I was hoping you would help – you know he’ll try and get involved, so I’d rather a pokemon I can trust to protect him if he gets in over his head.”

His Hoenn team were familiar with the problem. Any of them would be willing to fight their absolute hardest for Max, and they wouldn’t take stupid risks if he was on the line. “Okay,” he said, unfolding his arms. “Let’s go to the Pokemon Centre when we’re done with dinner, and I’ll ask Sceptile. Honestly, it’s probably getting kind of bored on the ranch, so this’ll be a good chance for it to get some exercise!”

“Pika-pika!” Pikachu agreed with a laugh, while Mimey shrugged carelessly and Norman’s shoulders slumped in relief.

“Thank you, Ash. You really don’t know how much this means to me.”

Goh looked between the two of them curiously, his brow furrowing again.

When they got to the Pokemon Centre and called Professor Oak, he was a little surprised with the late call but not by the request.

“Most of Gary’s team are loaned out to gyms at the moment,” he explained as he put out the call for Sceptile to come in. “But you can understand why the Sinnoh Pokemon Community are on a slightly higher level of alert.”

Goh frowned, glancing at Ash, but he didn’t really have time to explain as Norman promised he didn’t intend to keep Sceptile for long. Just enough to settle his nerves and hopefully deal with the problem.

As expected, Sceptile was more than willing to help out, thrilled to be getting some real action after too long with nothing but friendly battles to keep its skills up. But it did seem a little miffed that Ash wouldn’t even battle with it once to get back in the rhythm.

“Sorry, buddy,” he said. “But the last train to Kanto leaves in half an hour, and we’ve gotta be back in Vermillion in the morning or a whole lotta pokemon are gonna go hungry.”

“Scep,” it said, accepting the reasoning, and let Ash hug it tightly.

“Be careful, okay? Don’t do anything crazy.”

“Mime mime mister,” Mimey added, and Pikachu laughed before punching the air.

“Pi pikachu pika!”

Goh stood off to the side, one of those weird, shiny-eyed expressions on his face, but he didn’t say anything until after Ash had shaken hands with Norman and they all went their separate ways.

“Do you know a lot of gym leaders?”

Ash shrugged, recalling Mimey into its pokeball so it could get some rest on the journey. “Not personally. I mean, I’ve battled a lot of them, and you get to know people pretty well that way.”

“But they’re all supposed to be incredibly strong, and one of them came to you for help,” Goh pointed out, raising his eyebrows. “That’s a pretty big deal.”

He shrugged again. “Not really. Gym leaders are busy, especially if they’ve got other jobs on the side. Besides, everyone can use a helping hand sometimes. Actually, helping out gym leaders is what got me a few of my badges in the Indigo League – earning them through merit, instead of battle,” he explained. But, in the interests of honesty, he added, “But even if it wasn’t… Norman’s my friends’ dad, so he knows me. He knows some of the stuff we did, so he knows my pokemon can handle themselves when it’s not a formal battle and stuff. I guess there’s some more trust there, maybe.”

“I guess so,” Goh looked away, hunching his shoulders, and then peeked up at Ash from under his brow again. “You… have a lot of… friends?”

It seemed like a bit of a switch in topic, so Ash blinked, but then grinned. “Yeah! They’re all really great. I haven’t seen Max in ages though, so I hope you get to meet him when this is over.”

“O-oh… yeah, I guess,” he said, and then looked away again.

Which was another odd reaction, so Ash paused, but ultimately decided it would probably be better not to ask what was wrong. Goh had already had a pretty rough day – losing his first ever battle, getting into that weird disagreement with Hodge, and now meeting a stranger that Ash knew well? It was probably a lot.

So Ash gripped the straps on his bag, focussed his gaze on Pikachu and Scorbunny running ahead, and tried to seem casual as he said, “But that’s the really great thing about going on a pokemon journey! You get to meet all sorts of people, and you make all kinds of friends you might not have before! Like Hodge! I probably never would’ve talked to him normally, but he was such a nice guy!”

“Maybe to you,” Goh mumbled. “All I did was get in a fight with him. And then he beat me in that dumb battle before I even got a chance to do anything.”

“Yeah, but that was just bad luck!” he insisted. “That’s kind of the problem with these kind of blind tournaments – there’s no way to make sure the rounds match the skill level of the trainers. Sometimes, beginners luck out and get all the way to the finals just by only battling other beginners, and sometimes the biggest fight in the tournament happens in the first round, because that’s when the two best battlers are matched up! It’s just too bad that your first match was with a guy that was probably always gonna get to the finals. You probably would've done way better against someone else.”

Goh peeked at him again, but quickly turned back to watching Scorbunny. “Easy for you to say. You’re an amazing battler. I bet you’ve never lost a battle in your life.”

Ash laughed, imagining the reactions of some of his friends if they’d heard that. “No way! I’ve lost so many battles! Especially when I was first starting out – I had to learn a lot about how to be a good trainer by making a _lot_ of mistakes. At least you had a strategy for your first match. I didn’t even know how to battle!”

But Goh just scoffed, obviously not believing him. Which was such a weird feeling that Ash legitimately didn’t know how to react. If Misty had been here, she would have had a field day, listing every dumb mistake Ash had ever made until he was forced to go live under a rock somewhere.

In the end, it was Goh to speak first. “It doesn’t matter,” he said quietly. “I don’t need to be a good battler. You throw enough pokeballs and you can catch any pokemon. That’s all I’m interested in.”

Ash winced, once again debating whether he should push the issue.

It wasn’t that he thought Goh was a bad trainer, but he was so… he didn’t seem to understand how pokemon felt. Ash had really hoped that battling would let Goh see his pokemon’s true passions, not just their strengths. Like Scyther, who obviously wanted to learn to battle, while Pincer had been happier staying home. Like Scorbunny, who obviously wanted to explore its inner fire, but never got the chance because Goh didn’t care about expanding its skillset.

But… different trainers were different. And most pokemon trainers weren’t battlers. It was okay for Goh not to want that for his pokemon.

But Ash really hated how lonely Goh seemed. And battle was such a good way to get know people and pokemon. But, he supposed –

“Catching pokemon _is_ a good way to make friends,” he admitted, and Goh smiled.

“Sure is. I’ve been making a lot of good friends, lately.”

And when Goh looked up at him again, even Ash could catch that hint. He grinned and snatched Goh around the shoulders. “You sure have! Here’s to making loads more!”

“Let’s go!” Goh cheered, and they both laughed before refocussing on the road ahead.

* * *

As they stepped out of Vermillion Station, Ash yawned, wishing they could have just stayed in Hoenn overnight.

He didn’t like travelling by train. Sure, it was faster, and they’d gotten a nap overnight, but it wasn’t enough. He was feeling pretty foggy as Goh grabbed him by the wrist and started dragging him toward the bus stop. Scorbunny was running around their feet, but at least Pikachu had the sense to be as equally exhausted as Ash, slumped over his cap and drifting in and out of wakefulness.

“Come _on_ , Ash,” Goh insisted, yanking him a step faster, “I want to write up my notes on the Flute Cup before I forget, and we have to give everyone breakfast. Quit lagging behind!”

“Uh huh,” he mumbled. People who could get by without sleep were the absolute _worst_. The train hadn’t had a proper breakfast, either – just some snack bars and juice. He was so _hungry_ …!

“Oma!”

Omastar?

Ash blinked his eyes open and looked around, wondering why the voice had cut through the background of the city, but it actually took him a second to even find the source. An omastar was standing with its trainer at the mouth of an alley. Omastar were pretty unusual, but even so, there was something kind of weird about it, so Ash planted his feet, Goh’s hand slipping off his wrist as he refused to be dragged any further.

“Pi?” Pikachu lifted its head slightly. “Pika?”

“Ash, come on!” Goh said, coming back with his hands on his hips. “We’ve gotta feed everyone!”

He didn’t answer either of them, taking a couple of steps closer to the alley.

The trainer wasn’t looking at him or the omastar, just gazing at the wider crowd with weird eyes. He was dressed all in black, with a huge trenchcoat, and one of those flat caps that always seemed kind of familiar to Ash.

“Oh, wow, is that an omastar? They’re fossil pokemon, right?” Goh asked, digging out his rotomphone, but he trailed off when Ash didn’t answer, still staring at the pair. “Ash?”

Omastar looked normal. It wasn’t doing anything, just… standing there, also watching the crowd. Its little tentacles were absently tapping at the concrete.

Pikachu clambered down to perch on Ash’s shoulder, looking warily up at him. “Pikapika, Pikapi?”

“I dunno,” he said softly. “But… that’s a real pokemon, isn’t it?”

“A real pokemon?” Goh repeated, glancing back at Omastar. “What are you talking about? What else would it be?”

“I don’t know,” he said again, while Pikachu focussed on Omastar a little more intently. At their feet, Scorbunny looked between the humans curiously, and then abruptly swung around to sprint off.

“Wh- Scorbunny, no!” Goh yelped, running after it. “Wait!”

Ash and Pikachu flinched and quickly followed, but they didn’t manage to catch up before Scorbunny had already reached Omastar and was cheerfully greeting it with a raised paw. “Scor-scorbunny! Scorbunny. Scor-ni?”

Omastar glared at it, but luckily Goh scooped Scorbunny up into his arms before it could make it any madder. He immediately dropped into an apologetic bow for the trainer. “I’m so sorry! My scorbunny can be a little impulsive; I hope it didn’t startle you.”

“Scorbunny?” the man repeated curiously, tilting his head. “What’s a scorbunny?”

“This is,” he said, straightening up to show off his starter. “My partner! It’s from the Galar region.”

The main raised an eyebrow. “Galar, huh? Pretty rare here in Kanto, then.”

Ash frowned, something about the man’s tone setting him on guard, but Goh didn’t notice, too busy with Scorbunny.

“How many times do I have to tell you not to run off like that? You're going to scare people! Say sorry!”

“Bunny?!” it cried, and flailed its arms. “Scor-scor! Scorbunny!”

“Scorbunny!” he warned, and it gaped, brutally offended by the rebuke.

But Goh wasn’t much of a soft touch, so in the end it rolled its eyes and huffed out a mulish, “Sc’rb’nny.”

“That’s better,” he said, and looked back up at the man again. “Sorry again for bothering you.”

“No problem,” he said, still gazing at Scorbunny. “So are you from Galar? You must have a lot of interesting pokemon.”

“Oh, no. Just this one. We met on a research trip,” he said cheerfully, and then bent down to smile at Omastar. “This is Omastar, right? They’re so rare! I heard they were extinct until a team of researchers learned how to extract them from fossils! Is that how you got it?”

The man gave an amused grunt and pulled a pokeball from his pocket. A black pokeball, with red markings. Ash frowned, his eyes narrowing slightly as a forgotten memory told him he’d seen one of those before, but was quickly distracted by the trainer hesitating. He looked up in time to see the man focussing on him.

For a long moment, they just stared at each other, though Ash still didn’t know what exactly was bothering him, and the man didn’t say anything to explain why he was staring either. In the end, the strange trainer looked away first, recalling Omastar into the pokeball and pocketing it.

“Something like that. I’d like to stay and tell you our life story and all, but we have a lot of things to do today.”

“Oh! Of course, sorry,” Goh said, hunching into another quick bow before backing up. “It was nice to meet you. Sorry again for Scorbunny.”

The man smirked and turned on his heel, heading off down the alleyway without another word.

Ash watched him go, not sure why his hands had curled into such tight fists.

He was probably just being weird again.


	4. (Past) Mistakes

Having a friend was… strange.

Goh had always had Chloe, but he’d never really thought of her as a friend. She was a girl, for one thing, and it wasn’t like they played together even when they were kids. They just did things together. Like going to movies or the park or reading. He never really even thought about whether he liked her, because she was a girl, and that would have made it a question of whether he like-liked her, and he didn’t care about any of that. Mostly, she was just… someone he did things with.

But boys could be friends with boys without having to think about like-liking them, so he’d always figured that when he finally met a boy that wasn’t boring or mean, that boy would be his friend.

It sounded childish and stupid, and of course Goh didn’t really think like that anymore, but…

Well, it was kind of pretty much why he’d decided Ash would be his friend.

But now he had a friend, some days he kind of… struggled to understand what that really meant.

“So you never went back to school after you graduated Elementary?”

“Nope,” Ash confirmed.

They were walking through town because Goh needed new socks. It was a boring errand, one Goh would have normally done on his own, but when he’d mentioned needing to go out, Ash had offered to come along to keep him company. Like that was a normal thing to do. It was weird.

But anyway, on the way, they’d spotted some of the guys from Goh’s old class and he’d naturally tried to avoid them, which _Ash_ thought was strange.

“I wasn’t good at it,” he continued carelessly. “The only class I’d ever been good at was P.E., so it seemed kinda dumb to keep going. I just helped out Mom in the café until I could get my first pokemon.”

“You worked in a café? Doing what?”

With anyone else, Goh knew, he wouldn’t have cared, let alone asked. He didn’t really care about what other people did with their lives as long as it didn’t interfere with his own.

But for some strange reason, while he couldn’t say he cared, he was… curious to know about Ash’s life. He didn’t _care_ , but… he was…

He was interested.

It was _so_ weird.

“Oh, y’know. Cleared tables, did dishes, that kinda stuff. Mom never let me try cooking,” he said, and Pikachu muttered something on his shoulder than made Ash wince and laugh. “Yeah, that was probably for the best, huh?”

Ash and Pikachu were weird, too. They were always together, to the point that if Pikachu wasn’t around, Ash could actually look a little lop-sided. And when Pikachu was just quiet, sitting on Ash’s shoulder and not doing anything other than complementing Ash’s expressions, that was a little weird but fine.

But when they had these sort of exchanges, Goh… felt… something.

He didn’t really know what.

It wasn’t like Pikachu was human, so it couldn’t be Ash’s friend or anything, but when they talked like that, it felt like an inside joke that he was being purposefully excluded from. Which was ridiculous. Pikachu was a _pokemon_. Pokemon weren’t… they didn’t… that stuff didn’t happen.

He looked down at Scorbunny, who was a much more normal pokemon, and had a much more normal relationship with its trainer. Him. He was Scorbunny’s trainer. He was training Scorbunny. That was… he was doing it the normal way.

It didn’t normally ride Goh’s shoulder, or sit in his lap, or any of the things Pikachu did without thinking. Because Goh, being a normal trainer, imposed limits. He and Scorbunny had boundaries and… stuff. That was what made them partners, and made sure Scorbunny never became like a pet, or anything. Like how the Cerise family treated Yamper. Yamper had no boundaries, and the family treated it like something to be played with and admired, and…

And that was… also different to Pikachu…

Who was different to Mr Mime.

Who was different to… anything Goh had ever seen.

He didn’t understand it.

“So if you never went back to school…” He tried to ignore the side-track his own thoughts had taken. “What about your classmates? Do you ever miss them?”

“Ahh…” Ash laughed awkwardly, scratching his cheek and looking off to the side. “To be honest, I probably wouldn’t recognise most of ’em if I saw them on the street.”

Goh blinked. “Your memory isn’t that bad is it? You spent years with those people!”

“Yeah, but…” He winced, then sighed and shrugged, lifting one open palm toward the sky. “We didn’t really get on, so, y’know it… I didn’t really need to remember ’em.”

“You didn’t really… wait a minute!” Goh gaped at him, leaning over the better to stare at Ash’s awkward smile. “Were you – are you saying you didn’t have friends at school?”

“Of course I had friends!” he snapped, but then stopped himself with a cringe and visibly backtracked. “Friend. One friend. And we… argued a lot. We were really nasty rivals by the time we were Trainers.”

“ _You_ didn’t have friends?” he cried. He couldn’t believe it. Ash was so nice! So friendly! So… weird…

Actually, he could totally believe it.

Kids never liked weird people.

That was why he’d never bothered with anyone but Chloe.

But Ash shrugged like it was no big deal. “I had a lotta growin’ up to do back then. But like I said the other day, that’s the cool thing about bein’ a Pokemon Trainer! You meet all kinds of great people, and make heaps of friends!” he said, and then turned back to the road with a warm smile. “I know I probably wouldn’t recognise ’em, but it’d still be really cool to meet up with some of those people I went to school with. It’d be nice to see what everyone’s become.”

“But – but they…” He couldn’t understand it. “They left you out of stuff. I bet they made you feel really bad. Why would you want anything to do with them?”

“I wasn’t exactly nice to them, either,” he pointed out. “And it was a long time ago, y’know? I changed. They probably did too. No point holdin’ history against them.”

So… what? He was able to just… forget everything? Forgive all those jerks? Pretend he hadn’t been lonely and angry and hurt?

Goh hunched his shoulders and looked forward, deciding it would be better for their friendship if he didn’t tell Ash how stupid and naïve he was.

* * *

Something Ash had realised in Alola, and was now realising was actually just a thing about not being a travelling trainer, was that normal people didn’t have Pokemon Battles all the time.

When he was on his Journey, it felt like the normal thing to do – you met a trainer, you battled them. It was a way to get to know the other person. Sometimes you didn’t, but more often than not that told you something about the other person too – that they weren’t much of a go-getter, or their interests were more academic, or more about looks and styling…

Whereas when you didn’t travel around as much, if you didn’t get in a battle, it was usually because you were just busy doing something else. Because people who stayed in one place had a lot more stuff to do than Ash had ever realised. You had to spend a lot more time looking presentable, and cleaning, and working, and thinking about stuff that wasn’t just making sure you and your pokemon were ready for the next adventure.

So when he was on his Journey, it had never been too weird when someone stepped in his path and demanded a battle. It had been exciting.

Now he was staying in Vermillion City, generally avoiding the major travel ways. He wasn’t exactly expecting anything to happen on their way back from buying new socks.

They’d been taking a shortcut down a back alley when the man stepped out of a doorway, turning to directly face them so they wouldn’t just politely duck around him. He wasn’t that big, but there was something about him that made Ash pause and lean back. Something… weirdly familiar.

But even with his faulty memory, Ash was pretty sure he didn’t actually know the guy. He was older – somewhere around James’ age, probably, with pink hair under a flat black cap. He wore a lot of black, actually – black pants, black boots, and under his long coat, his shirt was mostly black too, just with some red lines across the front. And there was something about his smirk that felt… weird.

Ash took a half-step forward and across, blocking Goh from moving forward. “Um…”

“Interesting pokemon you have there,” the man said. “The pikachu looks good, but I’ve never seen a pokemon like that before. Some kind of special eevee?”

“Scor!” Scorbunny cried, bristling with defensive pride, while Goh laughed.

“No, this is Scorbunny. It’s a pokemon from Galar.”

“How about we battle for it?” the man asked, and before either of them could speak, he threw out a pokeball, releasing a very angry looking cubone. Ash hesitated, something about it catching his attention, and so he wasn’t at all prepared when the man ordered, “Cubone! Bone Rush!”

“Wha- I never agreed –!” Goh yelped as the cubone sprinted forward, but Ash got over his shock just in time to tackle him out of the way. Scorbunny barely jumped clear as the bone club smacked into the ground where it had stood, but Pikachu leapt off Ash’s shoulder before they hit ground, already ready to fight.

“Pika _pika_!” it yelled, but Cubone just snarled back.

“Cu-cubone!”

Ash shoved himself off Goh and stood up, clenching his fists. “Hey! We didn’t agree to any pokemon battle!”

“See if I care,” the man said with a grin. “Headbutt!”

“Pikachu, dodge it! Then use Quick Attack!” Ash snapped back, and Pikachu flashed into movement, easily ducking under the attack to ram, lightning fast, into Cubone’s front.

Completely outclassed, Cubone flew backwards into the darkened doorway, knocked out before it even hit the ground. The man sneered but didn’t back down, instead throwing out another pokeball, and Ash grit his teeth as another cubone materialised. Just like the last one, it felt kind of weird. He could almost feel its anger rippling over the hair on his arms.

“Hold on, that’s not fair!” Goh cried. “You can’t send in another pokemon unless there’s an agreement for a multi-pokemon battle!”

The man just laughed, and Ash clenched his fist in front of his face. As if this guy cared about the rules. “No holding back, Pikachu!” he said, and threw down his arm, visualising the next two moves. “Thunderbolt, let’s go!”

“Ash!” Goh gasped, but Pikachu snapped its agreement, running in as wide a circle as the alley would allow.

“Ha!” The man threw out his arms, grinning widely. “What are you, some kind of rookie? Cubone, Thrash!”

Deep down, Ash knew types didn’t matter. Ground didn’t really mean an immunity to electricity. When he’d been too young and stupid to know better, he’d _seen_ Pikachu fry more than one ground type. He knew it could be overcome. But right now, that wasn’t the point, and Pikachu knew it too.

The point was that even the most harmless strike caused a reaction. It was instinctive. You could be hit by a harmless feather and still automatically flinch in response. Immune or not, as the electricity surrounded Cubone, it froze up in instinctive response, letting the energy disperse. That split second was all Ash ever needed.

“Iron Tail!” he ordered, and Pikachu whipped around, tail flaring blinding silver before cracking down on Cubone’s armoured head.

The cubone never even managed to finish lifting its club for the Thrash. It started to crumple, but was caught by the red light of the pokeball before it could fall.

“Tch,” The man sneered again, snatching out another ball. “You’re not as soft as you look, are you?”

Ash shifted sideways, glaring out from under his cap. “Soft or hard doesn’t matter. I won’t let anybody steal pokemon. So give it up already and go home!”

“Pika pika!” Pikachu agreed, hunching down over its front legs.

“Yeah, right! Let’s see how you deal with this!” the man yelled, throwing out a light that quickly solidified into a marowak. Like the other two, it radiated fury, but this one’s eyes burned red beneath its skull helmet, and the power of its anger made Ash’s stomach clench. These three pokemon hadn’t been normal. They weren’t _right_.

But he wasn’t given time to figure out why, as Marowak span its club through its fingers and charged.

“Pikachu, dodge it!” he cried, forcing himself to snap out of it. “Defend with Iron Tail!”

“ _Defend_?” Goh repeated wildly, but Pikachu knew exactly what to do. As it skidded out of the way of the first thrust, its tail flared silver, and Pikachu spun to catch the next swing in the curve of its tail. Marowak’s third strike was struck back with an unnatural clang, while the fourth was easily parried, staggering Marowak with its own momentum.

“Now, Iron Tail, one more time!” Ash called, flinging his hand out. “Get rid of that club!”

“Pi- _ka_!” Pikachu yelled, spinning through the air to slam its iron-coated tail against Marowak’s hand. Sure enough, the bone went flying back, smacking into the man’s stomach, and Marowak cried out in pain and loss.

It had been a cheap shot. Marowaks, like cubones, were almost spiritually attached to their bone clubs. Separating them was cruel. But sometimes, in a fight like this, Ash knew nice battling was a risk you couldn’t take. He clenched his fist to steel himself against the guilt and set his shoulders. “Quick Attack off the wall!”

“Pikapika!” Pikachu confirmed, blurring out of sight, only to reappear on the fence beside them for a bare moment before rocketing off it and straight into Marowak. It was slammed right off its feet and into the man’s legs, bowling him over.

The movement ripped open his jacket just long enough for Ash to recognise the red lines weren’t lines at all. It was the letter R. _Team Rocket_.

“Okay, Pikachu, let’s finish this!” Ash yelled, lifting up his fist and pumping it down hard. “Thunderbolt, let’s go!”

“Pi… ka…” It leapt into the air, spinning once before slapping its cheeks in preparation, and then let loose the same level of power it had sent against Lugia. And just as the move always did against jerks from Team Rocket, it blasted both man and Marowak right off the ground, up into the sky and away.

Ash watched them go, his breathing a little too hard.

Team _Rocket_.

Not Jessie, James, or even Meowth, but Team Rocket.

The real Team Rocket. Who wore black and went after small scores, time and time again, until they had enough pokemon and power to do something unforgiveable.

And they had the black and red pokeballs again.

That’s where he’d seen them before. He knew those pokeballs. He didn’t remember where he’d seen them, but he _knew_ them.

They didn’t care about capture recognition software.

They didn’t care about a lot of things.

“Wow,” Goh said quietly. “That was kinda extreme, wasn’t it?”

He swallowed and blinked rapidly, eyes flicking down to Pikachu, who looked back at him seriously, recognising his mood. Which was fine, as long as it was Pikachu—Pikachu would understand—but it’d be no good if it was… He licked his lips and forced himself to relax as he turned back to meet Goh’s gaze.

“You okay? Is Scorbunny okay?”

Scorbunny, half-hidden behind Goh’s leg, was staring up at him with wide eyes. It slowly edged out, paws tapping together nervously, and walked forward to look at Pikachu. “Sc- scorbunny? Scor-scor bunny?”

“Pikachu,” Pikachu assured it. “Pikapika?”

“Scorbun-ny.”

“We’re fine,” Goh said over their continued conversation. “But that was pretty intense, Ash. I know that guy wasn’t following the rules, but I’ve never seen you battle like that. Not even against those Team Rocket guys.”

“Um, actually… that… _was_ Team Rocket.”

“What?”

He grimaced, rubbing the back of his neck. He wasn’t sure he really wanted to get into all of that right now. He was too edgy. He wouldn’t be able to explain. But Goh had to understand what could have happened, so… “That guy was a pokemon thief. There’s a lot of Team Rocket people like him.”

“Are you sure? He didn’t even try and steal anything, he was just forcing a battle.”

“That’s true, but…”

He was already screwing this up. But how was he supposed to explain it? Jessie and James were dangerous, but they weren’t like the rest of Team Rocket. Except they kinda were. They were just… they cared more. That was the only thing that made them different from any other lousy pokemon thief out there.

Pokemon thieves didn’t care about the rules, and they exploited the laws. If you engaged in a pokemon battle, even one you didn’t formally agree to, you were technically accepting the wager. That meant that if someone challenged you with a pokemon, you either had the choice to just let them take your pokemon, or risk losing it. Then your only chance would be to steal it back.

Thankfully, Officer Jenny tended to look the other way—if not outright offer to help—if you ever got caught stealing back your own pokemon. But Ash still hated it. He hated that all these Teams were out there. He hated that they got away with so much. He hated –

“Cu… bone…?”

They all jumped, spinning around to face the sound.

“Cubone!” Goh gasped. “He never recalled it!”

The first cubone was indeed staggering to its feet in the dark doorway the grunt had stepped out of. It was obviously woozy, but it still radiated anger and growled at their attention. “Cu-cubone! Cuuu-bone!”

“Pikapika,” Pikachu snarled back, cheeks sparking.

Cubone waved its club in what was probably supposed to be a threat.

“Scorbunny!” Scorbunny announced, bouncing up alongside Pikachu with both paws raised in a kind of fighting stance. When Cubone waved its club again, Scorbunny did a few shadowpunches and grinned. “Scor-scor! Scorbunny, bun-bun!”

“Pi-kachu…” Pikachu huffed, amused despite itself, though it lost its smile as Ash stepped up alongside it, extending a paw like it could keep him back. “Pikachu pika, piika!”

“It’s okay, buddy,” he said softly, kneeling down. The battle was over, but Cubone was still so angry, and it still didn’t feel right. Now he was closer, he could see the red glint in its eye that definitely wasn’t supposed to be there.

“What… what do we… do with it?” asked Goh. “What are you supposed to do with lost pokemon?”

Obviously, take it to the Pokemon Centre or home until you could find its owner. But Ash couldn’t bring himself to say anything, still staring at the little pokemon.

“We can’t catch it, right?” Goh continued nervously. “I… I don’t think I want to pick that thing up. It looks like it bites.”

“Mm,” Ash absently agreed.

The black and red pokeballs… he’d seen them before. He had. He _knew_ how they worked. They terrified him.

They could capture any pokemon. Even a caught pokemon. Even legendary pokemon.

They made pokemon angry.

Ash carefully reached out, only to stop as both Pikachu and the cubone snapped at him.

“Pikachu Pikapi!” Pikachu ordered, slapping him with its tail, while Cubone waved its club again.

“Cu- _bone_!”

“It’s okay,” he told them both, leaning past Pikachu to keep reaching out. “You’re just scared, right? You’re scared, and you’re angry, right? I get that.”

“Piika,” Pikachu quietly begged, but he couldn’t pay attention. Cubone needed help, and Ash couldn’t leave that alone.

But Goh knelt down beside him, looking even more nervous. “Um… Ash?”

“It’s okay,” he said again, edging forward. Cubone snarled, brandishing its club, but it wasn’t really aware enough to attack with it properly. The way it whacked Ash’s arm might bruise, but it wasn’t exactly a Bone Rush. “You don’t have to be scared. I’m not gonna hurt ya, I promise. See? No pokeballs. Pikachu’s stayin’ back. It’s just you and me, okay?”

“C-c-cubone!” it cried, smacking his arm even harder. “Cubone! Cu- _bone_!”

He flinched at a particularly hard strike, but it was pretty much Cubone’s last defence before Ash could finally lay a hand on its arm. What he hadn’t expected was that as soon as he touched its skin, a sudden rush of images and emotions surged into his mind’s eye, locking up every muscle from his fingertips to his spine.

Mother. Warm. Kind. Mother. Dead. Dying. Had to die. Know that. Take up the mantle. Take up the crown. Trainer. Warm. Kind. Broken. Mean man. Bad man. Fight bad man. Fight. Fight, fight, _fight_ , _fight_ , _FIGHT_.

“Ash?”

He turned his head slightly, acknowledging Goh’s call before refocussing on Cubone.

He’d only ever experienced that rush when locking eyes with a riolu or lucario before, but he knew what it was. He swallowed again and offered up as much of a smile as he could manage.

“You have a trainer,” he said softly. “Not that Team Rocket guy, but a real trainer, right? Remember?”

Cubone shook its head, but then stopped, paused, and shook its head again, more slowly this time. “Cu…bone?”

“Remember?” he pressed. “Do you remember her?”

“Cubone…” it murmured. Some of the wrongness was starting to fade away.

“Don’t you want to go back to your trainer?”

“Bone…” it said. The tip of its club hit the ground as it stared blindly back at Ash. “C- cu… bone… Cubone?”

“We can go to the Pokemon Centre, or Officer Jenny,” he offered. “We can help you find your trainer. So you can go back to her. Would you like that?”

“Bone,” it said again, and then sniffed and nodded its head. The wrongness was all gone. “Bone bone, cubone.”

“Come on,” Ash said, and held out both hands. “Let’s go.”

“Cubone,” it said, and waddled forward until he could lift it up into his arms. He curled it in tight to his chest, hugging as much as lifting, and smiled as Pikachu immediately scampered up his back. He could see it scowling at him from the corner of his eye.

“Pika pikachu, Pikapi,” it said, but then sighed and settled down on his shoulder, resigning itself to his choices. “Pikapikachu…”

He snickered and didn’t comment, just turning to look at Goh. “Sorry about all this. Do you mind if we take a detour on the way home?”

Goh was staring at him.

It wasn’t his normal stare, or even the sparkly-eyed one he got sometimes, though it was kind of similar. His eyes were wider than they usually were with that stare, and his brow was furrowed, like people normally only did when Ash was doing something kinda reckless.

This wasn’t reckless, was it?

But eventually, Goh shook himself, coughed, and shoved himself to his feet. “Of course not. Come on. Are we going to the Pokemon Centre or the police station?”

“Pokemon Centre first,” Ash said. “That Quick Attack hit pretty hard, didn’t it?”

“Cu-cu-cubone,” Cubone sobbed, while Pikachu rolled its eyes.

“Pika pika chu,” it muttered. Ash didn’t bother responding to the attitude—Pikachu always got sulky when Ash wanted to help someone that had attacked them—just rocked back to his feet and let Goh lead the way out of the alley.

He didn’t notice the woman sitting on the edge of the rooftop high over their heads. He had been too busy to notice her throughout the entire battle, even when the grunt she’d been originally keeping an eye on went flying on a wave of aura-enhanced electrical energy.

But she had noticed him. She watched him carry a harmless, crying Cubone away from a battle it hadn’t known it didn’t want a part of.

She lifted a hand to the device in her ear, patching through to a secure line.

“Arlo,” she greeted, “That complication Giovanni mentioned we might experience… I think I’ve just figured out what it might be.”


	5. (Legal) Morality

It was an odd sensation, realising she was talking to Ash Ketchum. He didn’t look anything like she remembered.

Of course Jenny remembered Ash – it would be pretty hard to forget the brash newbie trainer that supercharged a dozen pikachu for a joined thunderbolt that exploded the Pokemon Centre. That was why she'd been transferred out and over to Vermillion. But she’d vaguely followed his career ever since, noting his entries in various Leagues and Tournaments. She’d felt an odd sort of sisterly pride whenever she heard he’d won something.

And yet, despite the fact she knew he was a twice-champion now (technically. Neither Orange Islands or the brand new Alola League really counted, she suspected), it hadn’t occurred to her that he would have changed over the years. When she’d seen him on the street and warned him about Team Rocket, she hadn’t recognised him. The Ash she remembered was an angry, impatient mess that was barely holding himself together. The boy on the street had been relaxed, easy-going, and had an aura of comfortable strength to him.

It wasn’t until he came into the station to hand in a stolen cubone, providing his rotomphone for identification, that she realised her little mess of a hero had grown up.

She looked at his offsider, wondering if this was a mentor, student, or just a friend. He had the awkward air of someone trying very hard to look like they were in control of the situation. She saw it a lot with young pokemon trainers.

“You’re working for Professor Cerise?” she prompted them both as she ran a search for lost cubones.

“That’s right,” Goh, the offsider, confirmed. “We’re research fellows. It’s our job to investigate all the mysteries Professor Cerise looks into.”

Ah, that explained some of it. Not why a champion was working for a scientist, but that wasn’t really her business.

“I heard about the Institute. Can’t say I really understood why they picked Vermillion City to work out of, though – they don't have a mystery and the closest one is what happened to the Viridian gym leader,” she said absently. “And no one’s bothered looking into that for a while now.”

Ash shifted slightly in recognition. “Really? They still haven’t found him? Is Agatha still filling in?”

“Agatha?” Goh repeated. “Like the Elite Four member?”

Jenny nodded absently, more focussed on the search results. Cubones were lost fairly regularly, but not often stolen or surrendered. “The League decided Kanto has enough gyms to cope without Viridian City, so they just closed it down. But a new Leader qualified recently, which is why the new gym’s being built here,” she explained. “I haven’t met them yet, but it will be good to have another Gym Leader in town. Hopefully this one will be a little more active in the community.”

“Wait, hold on,” Goh said, waving his hands. “Elite Four member Agatha was in a _gym_? Gyms are for trainers trying to qualify for the League! How is that fair?”

“What do you mean?” asked Ash, and Goh stared at him.

“Elite Four members are champion-level trainers!” he cried. “You can’t put them in charge of something like a gym! No one would ever be able to win a badge!”

Momentarily distracted from the search, Jenny raised an eyebrow. “Viridian City has always been a difficult gym to pass. The challenge is expected.”

“Besides, it’s not like Agatha’d go all out on a rookie trainer,” Ash added with a grin. “Just like any gym leader – they take it easier on newer trainers.”

Jenny smirked. “Giving away secrets? Or did a gym leader tell you that?”

He glanced at her, then laughed, rubbing the back of his head. “I kinda figured it out on my own. It was pretty obvious when I saw Misty and Brock battlin’ some people last year. Even against a proper battler, using mega-evolution and everything, they were still holdin’ back,” he said, and then smiled at Goh again. “But it’s not hard to tell. I mean, Gym Leaders are some of the strongest battlers in any region, but when you go up against ’em for a badge, you normally won’t be facin’ their whole team, even if you get their strongest pokemon. Agatha would’ve done the same thing.”

Goh stared at him blankly. “Misty and Brock…? Who are Misty and Brock?”

Catching sight of a good result, Jenny didn’t bother waiting for the Kantonian Gym History. “Alright, here we are. If we’ve got the right one, your cubone belongs to a trainer from Cobalt City,” she said. “I’ll send a message through to the local Jenny, but I’m going to need you to fill out a form for me before I can take custody of Cubone.”

“Huh? How come?” he asked, and she gave him the look such a question deserved. His friend was obviously new to the industry, but Ash was a champion. He should have known this stuff.

“No pokeball, and registered as Stolen,” she reminded him. “Not Released, not Surrendered, _Stolen_. In order to return Cubone to legitimacy, we have to provide evidence of how it was recovered.”

Ash stared at her blankly, and she realised that maybe the mess of a trainer she remembered hadn’t gone too far away.

“I need a formal record of how you came into possession of a stolen Cubone.”

“But I already told you,” he said blankly. “We were battling Team Rocket, and –”

“Yes, I know,” she said, trying to bite back her impatience. “This is just a form to make that statement official.”

He looked over his shoulder, to where Cubone, Pikachu, and the strange white rabbit-pokemon were annoying Growlithe. He frowned before coming back to her. “Can’t we just give Cubone back to its trainer?”

“It’s just a bit of paperwork,” she said. “Then I can take Cubone off your hands.”

“But… but what if the trainer doesn’t come?”

“Well, then we’ll have to decide what to do with it,” she said blankly. “We can release it, or you can catch it, if you like. Or we’ll put out a call to the Gym Leaders – see if any of them want a cubone. But it’s unlikely – in cases like these, the trainer is usually more than happy to take their pokemon back.”

Goh looked at Ash sideways, but didn’t say anything, while the champion himself visibly dithered. “Are… are you sure I can’t just take it straight to her?”

“What?” Goh asked. “You don’t even know where she is!”

“Cobalt City,” he said. “It’s in Kanto, right? Probably not that far.”

“Ash, it’s Sunday afternoon! Professor Cerise and the others will be back at work tomorrow!” he said. “We’ll have work to do!”

“Besides,” Jenny interrupted pointedly, “this is a legal matter. Cubone was officially registered as Stolen. Its registration is currently blocked. We have to go through legal channels to unblock it. And even if we didn’t, victims of Team Rocket attacks rarely welcome strange trainers showing up on their doorsteps.”

Ash blinked at her, then twisted back around to look at Cubone again. He didn’t look happy, but he eventually sighed and said, “Okay.”

* * *

“Did you want to catch Cubone, or something?”

Ash jerked around, shocked at the idea. They had just stepped out of the police station, so he hadn’t really been expecting any question, let alone that one. “What’re you talkin’ about? Cubone already has a trainer that it loves a whole lot.”

“That’s not really the point,” Goh said with a weak laugh, before refocussing. “You just seemed kinda upset about leaving it behind.”

He blinked, then lowered his eyes to the footpath for a moment before shrugging. He did feel bad about it. Part of him wanted to go back in; maybe ask to stay until they’d at least talked to the trainer. But he knew he couldn’t. This wasn’t a Pokemon Centre, where you could just hang out. The police officers were busy, and they were in the way even just standing in the doorway. “C’mon, let’s go home.”

While he turned away, Goh hesitated, crouching down to Scorbunny’s level. “How about a ride?”

Ash glanced back, surprised, and Scorbunny audibly gasped. “S-scor?”

“Just this once,” Goh warned, but it didn’t need any further prompting. It leapt up into his arms, and then scrambled up to try and mimic Pikachu’s position on Ash’s shoulder. With its longer limbs, it couldn’t quite balance, so Goh sighed and pulled it around to sit in his arms proper instead. With an adorably dopey grin, Scorbunny bunched its paws up under its chin and settled down, so Ash quickly turned away again to hide his and Pikachu’s grins.

Besides, he still hadn’t answered Goh’s question. If he was really trying to be honest this time, Ash knew he needed to stop letting subjects drop just because they were kind of uncomfortable. “Cubone’s been through a lot, you know? Being stolen by Team Rocket, and made to fight… it was really scared. It just needs someone to be nice to it right now, and Officer Jenny’s a really busy person. She won’t have time to look after it properly.”

“Look after it properly? Like how?”

Ash looked sideways, to where Goh was cradling his pokemon. Probably because he was a little scared of Team Rocket. The obvious probably wouldn’t be appreciated. “I just don’t think it’d be very happy locked up in the police station for a few days. It’s not a home, you know?”

“I guess,” he said. “Once, Chloe’s little brother got lost and the police found him. Professor Cerise was out of town on research, and Chloe’s mom was at work, so it was hours before they could find her contact number. He said it was really boring.”

“And at least he knew for sure someone would come,” Ash pointed out. “Cubone… I don’t know if Cubone’s so sure.”

“Did it tell you that?”

Ash frowned. “No… But it’s obvious, isn’t it?”

He rolled his eyes, smiling wryly. “Maybe to you…”

It probably wasn’t worth getting into another discussion about how actually, Goh, pokemon totally had expressions, how can you not see their faces moving. He let the subject drop, instead trying to figure out what was really bothering him.

It wasn’t just leaving Cubone alone. It wasn’t even dealing with Team Rocket, or knowing they were using those scary pokeballs again.

He was just a little freaked out, realising how much legal stuff there was about stolen pokemon. For as long as he’d been on his journey, he’d been fighting off pokemon thieves and poachers. It was part of being a trainer, he figured. And he knew there were laws. He knew the difference between a Surrendered pokemon, when you lost a battle with a pokemon as the stake, and a Stolen pokemon, who was just taken by someone. He knew some of the rules about gifting pokemon, and that trading couldn’t just be done by swapping pokeballs.

But he’d never really thought about it. The pokedexes handled most of that.

If Team Rocket ever actually took Pikachu, and he actually reported it to Officer Jenny, he wouldn’t have been able to do anything about it. He wouldn’t have been able to just go after Team Rocket himself, because even if he got Pikachu back, then he still would’ve had to go back to Officer Jenny and make it official. And it had been bad enough today, filling out that form. He hadn’t understood a lot of it, but some of the wording made it sound like _he_ had stolen Cubone from its trainer. Even though that trainer was just a thief who had taken it from the person Cubone really belonged to.

It was kind of scary, realising all this stuff that he never really thought about before.

Somehow, it made the stuff he’d been dealing with for years suddenly seem… bigger. Heavier. More real.

It actually made him wonder about some of the pokemon he’d adopted over the years. It had never been a problem, mostly because he’d always thrown his own pokeballs and they accepted the registration, but he’d never actually checked to make sure Charmander or Tepig had been released. He’d watched Paul releasing Chimchar, but it wasn’t like he’d waited for the cooling off period or anything…

Maybe he’d been breaking the rules all this time and never known.

So much stuff he’d done over the years, he’d done because it felt right and nobody stopped him. Even when people told him he was wrong, he just argued back, and everyone kind of acted like he’d learn his lesson eventually. Sometimes he did, but it had never been about something like this.

Just doing what felt right… not knowing what was right or wrong…

Ash chewed the inside of his lip, thinking back to the two cubone and the marawak. And Omastar the other day. He’d thought they felt _wrong_. And it was only talking to Cubone, reminding it of its trainer, that it had started to feel right again.

But was it right?

Cubone had been hurting. It had hurt really bad.

At least… he thought it did. It wasn’t like he understood how he’d felt that. He didn’t know Cubone. And it wasn’t like a riolu, projecting its aura out. Maybe… maybe _he’d_ been the one projecting. Maybe _he’d_ been the one upset about the battle. Maybe he’d just wanted a reason not to blame the pokemon, a reason to not feel bad about technically winning a pokemon in battle.

Maybe he actually had stolen Cubone.

* * *

“First of all, it’s not stealing, it’s a legitimate win,” Professor Cerise said firmly. “Whether you agreed to the battle or not, pokemon were at stake and you were entitled to claim a pokemon when you won.”

Ash winced. Goh had told the professor about the battle almost as soon as everyone arrived at work, immediately piquing everyone’s interest. Now, he was busy recounting the battle to Ren and Chrysa, providing a blow-by-blow recap, thankfully giving Ash time to speak to Professor Cerise alone. He needed to know whether he’d technically done the wrong thing.

They were alone in Professor Cerise’s office, just them and Pikachu. At first, Pikachu hadn’t understood why Ash was so upset, but now it was sitting close to his stomach and nuzzling in silent comfort, reassuring him it thought he was being ridiculous.

Which maybe he was… but sometimes human laws were kind of ridiculous. That didn’t make them wrong.

“I’ve only ever battled with one of my pokemon on the line,” Ash said. “I’ve never taken one from anyone else.”

“Which is very nice of you, to forgive the debt, but that doesn’t mean you couldn’t have rightfully claimed something,” the professor said. “Just like, in this case, it was very nice of you to gift the claimed pokemon to the trainer it was originally taken from. The only legally grey area is that a Stolen Pokemon is supposed to be blocked from wagers. And since you didn’t set the wager, that’s not your responsibility.”

He relaxed a little, nodding slowly. That kind of made sense. “It’s just the form sounded –”

“Legal forms often do,” he said. “What you’ll come to discover, Ash, it that governments tend to make things complicated to stop people from doing things on a whim. The harder something is, the less likely you are to want to do it, after all.”

He laughed, lifting his free hand to rub the back of his neck. “I dunno about that… Normally I really like a challenge!”

“So do I, come to think of it,” Professor Cerise said with a chuckle, sitting back in his chair. “They make life more interesting, don’t you think?”

“Yeah, but I think I would’ve liked to skip this one.”

He nodded, but his smile faded the longer he looked at Ash, considering. “Back to your concerns… I’m not sure you were actually ‘projecting’, as you called it. Tell me more about this pokeball the thief was using.”

“Huh? Oh, yeah, um… I’ve seen them before, but it was a long time ago,” he said, glancing back down at Pikachu for confirmation. “Back in Johto, remember? When we met Sammy?”

“Pika,” Pikachu agreed, and shivered. “Pika pika chu pika.”

“I know. Sorry, buddy,” he said, rubbing his hand all the way from Pikachu’s head to its tail before looking back up at the professor. “If they’re the same thing, they’re really nasty. They can catch caught pokemon, and you know how a pokeball usually makes pokemon all relaxed and calm and stuff?”

“So the theory says,” Professor Cerise said.

“These aren’t like that. These pokeballs _hurt_ ,” he said, tensing up his muscles and shoulders to try and show the feeling. “They hurt so bad that their minds just go blank, and all that’s left is bad feelings.”

Again, Professor Cerise just gazed at him for a few moments, before standing up and pushing his chair out of the way to access the holo-screen behind his desk. “Black and red design, you said?”

“Yeah. Mostly black, it’s just the seams that are red,” he said. “Kinda like the reverse of a Cherish Ball, if you’ve ever seen one of them.”

“In a textbook,” he said vaguely, pulling up a few images. Ash recognised most of them, though he couldn’t exactly remember where he’d seen them. Some were black and white, with red Rs, so he could guess it was from Team Rocket. Another was more purple, with white seams, but again with the R. The only one that looked close was actually a computer image, but Ash still pointed at it.

“That one! In the corner.”

“Ah… the mythical Shadow Ball,” he said, expanding the file.

“Mythical?”

“Sorry – poor choice of words,” he said, and stepped back to better reveal the mass of text and a few blurry photos. “Mythical in the sense that it’s never been officially registered, but there have been a few reports of it over the years. It’s forbidden technology, of course. But the reports match what you’re describing.”

Ash tried to read the text, but it was all too complicated and there was way too much of it, so he quickly shook his head to clear it and refocussed on the professor. “What do you mean, forbidden?”

“Pokeballs are curious technology, still vaguely in the realm of the arcane, despite how much we know about them,” he explained, shifting his weight onto one hip and folding one arm over his torso, the other elbow resting on it so he could tap his fist against his chin in thought. “It’s still assumed to be a kind of magic that allows pokemon to be housed inside it, because we don’t really know how the science works, and we’ve never been able to replicate it with a human. It’s something specific to pokemon biology.”

Ash blinked, not understanding what this had to do with something being forbidden. It didn’t seem to be the same topic.

“It was Professor Oak who identified what it is about pokeballs that make them such comforting housing for pokemon, and allowed us to streamline the technology,” the professor continued thoughtfully. “By doing so, he enabled science to advance it, which is how we were able to build more specialised pokeballs. We’ve learned to manipulate pokemon’s emotional energy through a pokeball to better build relationships between pokemon and trainer.”

Ash nodded slowly. He was very vaguely aware of how it worked – that was why you could catch a pokemon and use it straight away. “Okay…”

“But while we currently use this manipulation in a positive way, there’s no reason why you wouldn’t be able to use it in a negative fashion,” he said. “Which is where the Shadow Ball comes in. Where, for example, a Friend Ball will raise a pokemon’s emotional capacity for love and affection, a Shadow Ball is supposed to reduce it almost to the point of non-existence.”

“Stop it from feeling love?” Ash asked. “No way!”

“That’s the theory,” he said quietly, staring at the image for a long moment. “I can only imagine how it must feel to lose that capacity. To not be able to feel anything but anger and hatred… It would be a terrible existence, but… potentially very useful.”

“Useful?” he repeated furiously. “How is that useful?”

The professor glanced back at him, apologetic and sad. “War makes monsters of us all, Ash.”

He stared at him, refusing to believe it. He’d fought some terrible people, seen really horrible things done to people and pokemon, but almost all of them had been doing it for something they believed in. Surely no one would do something so terrible just to… for… for what? What could be worth that?

“Thankfully, as I said, it’s been outlawed as even a concept,” Professor Cerise continued, turning to face him properly. “But the law doesn’t stop everyone. Honestly, I’m not surprised to hear an organisation like Team Rocket has been continuing the technology. It worries me a great deal to think they may have made it stable enough to use in regular battle.”

“We have to stop it!” Ash said firmly.

“Of course. But the first step to doing that is understanding it. After all, at the moment we don’t really know anything about these Shadow Balls, or their effects. You’re the first person I’ve ever heard of to have been able to recognise it,” he said, and sat back down, pulling his keyboard over so he could start taking notes. “Let’s start with the thief. You’re sure he wasn’t a particularly high-ranking member of Team Rocket?”

“No way,” he said, shaking his head. “Those guys are always different, and they use way tougher pokemon. Agents and stuff wouldn’t use a cubone.”

“Alright. You said you could feel something when you looked at the pokemon? Do you think you could describe it?”

Ash hesitated, his shoulders rising slightly. He still wasn’t used to explaining things like this – it had always been fine with Professor Oak, who just accepted his vague statements and moved on, or Professor Kukui, who was happy to not understand as long as Ash felt okay about it. Not that he felt okay about this, but…

How was he supposed to explain it, anyway? It wasn’t like dynamaxing, or evolution energy, or anything where there was a specific… thing. Like a pressure that he could describe. This was more like… it had been like…

Feelings. Really, really bad feelings.

Even in his own head, it sounded stupid.

“Take your time, Ash,” Professor Cerise prompted. “Anything you can tell me will help, even if you don’t know how.”

“I don’t know how to describe it,” he said. “It… it was kind of… I don’t know.”

“Pika, piika?” Pikachu asked, patting his chest encouragingly, and Ash sighed. Somehow, he didn’t think Pikachu would be able to help explain.

“It felt… cold,” he said. “And hard. Like running into a lead wall. There was a thing that’s normally there, in everyone, but especially pokemon, and – and it just wasn’t there.”

Professor Cerise’s eyebrows twitched slightly, but he didn’t say anything, just waiting for Ash to continue.

“All I could feel was… they were angry. All the pokemon were angry, and scared, and the thing wasn’t there,” he said, absently touching his torso just below his ribs. “Maybe that’s what the Shadow Ball took away.”

“Maybe,” Professor Cerise said softly, before turning to write some notes. “Goh said you managed to calm Cubone down. Did anything happen then?”

“That’s even weirder,” he admitted. “I wanted to help it. It was so scared, you know? It needed help. And when I touched it, I – there – I mean –”

The professor glanced at him again, and Ash winced. He didn’t like talking about this. It was too hard.

“Before, I’ve met riolu, and sometimes, they… There was this one riolu that had special aura powers,” he said, flicking his hand absently. “When it got really upset, it kind of… it sent out these… like feelings. Only… only I could see them. Memories, maybe? Only not like memories. More like flashes. Flashes of… experience? I guess?” He shook his head. Even at the time, he’d tried to explain it to Dawn and Brock, and they hadn’t really been able to understand. It wasn’t like he could see or hear or feel the things Riolu had shown him, but he’d _known_ them, deep down. “When I touched Cubone, it was like that. I got all these… these flashes of… I dunno. They were its mom, and its trainer, and then getting caught by Team Rocket, and – I dunno how to explain it.”

But Professor Cerise was already staring at him again, his eyes wide behind his glasses. After a few moments, he coughed and looked away, blinking rapidly, before returning to Ash again. “Could you tell me more about these… flashes? Are they words, like with Lugia?”

“Oh, uh… no,” he said, shaking his head. “Lugia wasn’t really words either, but it was different anyway. With Cubone, it was… it was… like um, when with its trainer, I knew—know—she – she’s really nice,” he said, and then paused, closing his eyes to better remember. Warm. Kind. Scared. “She… smells like apple toffees. They met in a field, and it had been raining, but the sun was warm, somehow.” He hesitated, then shook his head and opened his eyes again, knowing how dumb it all probably sounded. “I knew she made Cubone feel safe, so… so I just wanted to remind it of her. I wanted it to remember how she made it feel. And then, when it remembered, the missing thing came back. And it was still scared, and kinda angry, but mostly it just missed its trainer. It wanted to go home.”

“Pika chuu,” Pikachu said, leaning closer into his stomach, and he grimaced, petting it again.

“At least, that’s what it felt like to me.”

The office fell quiet, and when Ash looked up again it was to find Professor Cerise staring at him again. He pulled back into his shoulders, wishing he was better at this stuff. “I know it probably doesn’t make a lot of sense.”

“No,” he said, but then jerked, blinking hard and visibly pulling himself back together. “No, I mean, yes. It makes sense, it’s just… _fascinating_. You have such interesting abilities, Ash. It’s really quite remarkable.”

He winced. “I dunno if I’d call it an ability…”

“No, I suppose you wouldn’t,” he said, and turned back to his notes. “Let me just uh… let me just write some of that down. Tell me, you said this was different to how it was with Lugia, but similar to an experience you’ve had with a riolu. Do you think that might be because they’re different kinds of pokemon? Lugia is a legendary – a more powerful pokemon. There’s reports of legendaries using telepathy with human language. Could that account for the difference?”

“Um… I don’t think so. I think it was just… different, you know? Lugia was trying to talk to me – Riolu and Cubone were just upset.”

“Of course, yes, that’s… hm. _Fascinating_ ,” he said again. “What about you? Have you ever been tested for psychic ability? Aura sensitivity? Magical power?”

“Um… not _tested_ ,” he said awkwardly. “I know I _have_ aura. I don’t know how to use it, though.”

“Aura,” he repeated softly. “There’s so few texts about it. Almost no one knows how it works… how it manifests in humans… You’re such a mystery…!”

Not really understanding, Ash laughed weakly, rubbing the back of his neck again. “I kinda feel like I should apologise!”

“Hm? Oh, no, we just agreed, a challenge just makes things more interesting,” he said, and looked up at Ash with a warm smile. “I know I’ve said it before, but I really am glad you decided to join us here at the Institute – I’m sure we’ll uncover a lot of mysteries together!”

He blinked, then grinned, sinking into the relief. He’d been so worried that he’d done the wrong thing without realising, but not only had Professor Cerise told him it was okay, Ash had actually tried to explain things and apparently gotten it kind of right! He never would have believed it!

Maybe Professor Kukui was right. It was kind of hard, but honesty felt way better than talking around the truth. And it was kind of fun, thinking about how all this stuff worked. He was almost interested in finding out more about aura now.

Not quite, but _almost_.

“Do you think we’ll be able to figure out how to stop the Shadow Balls, Professor?” he asked, and Professor Cerise nodded.

“With enough research, there’s no secret this world can hold from us. We’ll figure it out, Ash.”

Pikachu cheered, and Ash pumped his fists, ready to take on the next challenge. They’d all work it out together.


	6. Lovely, Charming (Villains)

The orders, these last few years, had been a little strange.

Part of it was financial. Team Rocket had tried a few big-budget schemes recently, and none of them had panned out. The ones in Kanto and Johto had been bad for Rocket Industries’ reputation, while the Unova operation had not only been colossally expensive, but had ended with the boss injured and all their greatest technology compromised.

Jessie’s quick thinking in Kalos—reporting on the events to a region-wide audience after the actual reporter ran scared—had actually given them the perfect introduction to a market no longer filled by Team Flare. Rocket Industries had quickly established themselves as the new leaders in environmental research, while Team Rocket took control of the lesser crime syndicates with ease.

That, James suggested, was why their Alola orders had been so vague. They’d had very few orders in Kalos aside from ‘get that damn Pikachu’, but their changing plans and initiative had set Team Rocket up nicely. So Matori’s resentful sneering aside, it wasn’t that surprising they’d been given such free rein in Alola. Just ‘Go there’ and ‘Set up a base’. Nothing else.

Matori demanded regular reports, and the boss was almost always present in those calls, but rarely did he say anything or give them more orders. They were generally left to their own devices, and their lack of success was never commented on by anyone but Matori. But then, without any warning, they were brought home, for no apparent reason.

Now things were even stranger. They had been given an actual base. They had semi-regular orders about where to go and what to do. They were even given temporary pokemon to use in their missions.

It was strange.

So when James opened the door of their base to see one of Giovanni’s specially picked spies smirking at him, the whole team braced themselves for weirder.

“Ohh, it’s you, isn’t it?” Jessie asked, leaning forward from her hips to eye the woman sauntering into their base. “Uno, or something?”

“Mahjong,” she corrected lazily, eyeing off the posters. “I love what you’ve done with the place. Very 1960s illegal pool hall. Needs more smoke though; you should pick up a few cigarettes.”

“It’s a dirty habit,” James said, folding his arms as he leaned against the wall behind her.

“Besides, everyone knows y’can’t show smokin’ on kids cartoons no more,” Meowth added. “It’d be a bad influence!”

“That sounds like a you-problem,” Mahjong quipped, and Jessie scowled.

“Well, since this is _our_ base, we deal with _our_ problems. It’s none of _your_ business. What are you doing here, anyway? What do you want?”

“Special orders from above,” she said, now pacing along the cabinets to eye off James’ various collectables. “Just checking in, you know how it is. How’s your little side project going?”

“Side project?” Jessie repeated irritably.

“Yes, you know. That overpowered pikachu you spent so many years chasing down,” she said. “You haven’t mentioned it recently.”

“You mean the twerp’s pikachu?” Meowth asked, while Jessie and James exchanged wary glances.

They’d never made a secret of their interest in Pikachu, and over the years, somehow the boss had developed one too. Except his interest had never been direct. He’d just let them ramble, occasionally questioning about the twerp and his training methods. It had reached a minor peak in Unova, of course, but that had more to do with Meloetta than the twerp himself, and the boss had definitely known of the boy beforehand. They couldn’t remember ever mentioning the twerp’s name, but he definitely knew it. It was strange.

“We haven’t been going after it,” James said slowly. “The only time we’ve seen it since coming back to Kanto was when we were trying to catch those Bulbasaur and Ivysaur.”

“That’s interesting,” Mahong said, even though she sounded incredibly bored by the information. “Do you know what its trainer is doing in Kanto? Competing in the league, I assume?”

“Why should we know?” Jessie demanded. “We’ve been a little busy, you know! It’s not like we follow that twerp around!”

“Anymore,” Meowth added lowly.

“Does the boss want us to find out?” asked James, but Mahjong hummed vaguely.

“No. No, keep doing what you’re doing. Whatever that is,” she said, and finally turned to look at them with a benign smile, her hands laced behind her back. “Tell me, how are you finding the pokemon you’re using?”

“We’ve only had a couple so far,” Jessie said. “They were strong enough, I suppose.”

“And they obey your orders?” she asked, only to stop and chuckle lightly. “Though, from all reports you’ve never had that problem, have you? You’re quite remarkable trainers, despite all appearances.”

“And what is _that_ supposed to mean?” Jessie demanded, while James narrowed his eyes.

“If we’re going to be chasing the twerp, we’ll need stronger pokemon,” he advised. “When he’s retreading old ground, he tends to bring in older, more powerful pokemon. He might not raise any younglings this time, and that will make battles even harder than usual.”

Mahjong glanced at him, but then smiled again, raising her eyebrows. “Wherever did you get the idea you’ll be chasing him?” she asked. “I hope you didn’t take my question as a suggestion. You need to follow the orders you’re given by Matori. Side projects shouldn’t distract from your prime directive, after all.”

They exchanged glances again, not sure what the point of the conversation was. Team Rocket didn’t bother with implied orders very often, but then Jessie, James, and Meowth didn’t deal with the infiltration team very often either. Maybe Wobbuffet did, but who knew what Wobbuffet got up to when it was back at base. Even Meowth couldn’t make sense of its vague statements sometimes.

“Oh, and while we’re on the topic, I’m sure I don’t need to tell you not to mention my visit to anyone,” Mahjong commented, turning on her heel to head for the door. “We operatives work best when no one knows our location. Including other Rocket members. You know how it is.”

James raised an eyebrow as she passed him. “Is there someone specific we shouldn’t mention this to?”

“Don’t make it sound so sordid!” she said playfully. “Just anyone you happen to speak to. Team Rocket has always appreciated your discretion.”

“Wait a minute, that’s it?” Jessie demanded, storming after her. “You show up, ask cryptic questions about Pikachu and then go? If you’re all about secrecy and whatever, why bother coming here if it’s not for anything important?!”

“I’m Mahjong. Every move I make has a purpose,” she said, opening the door. “Thank you for your time!”

And with that, she swung out into the hallway and disappeared. Jessie and James looked at each other again while Meowth stood up and joined them so they could all frown at the closed door.

“Somethin’ fishy’s goin’ on here,” Meowth announced, and Wobbuffet swung its arm up in salute.

“Wooo-buffet!”

* * *

With the excitement of the race, they now knew why the boat ride to Sinnoh had been so jam-packed with casual pokemon trainers, but most of them had stayed behind to party overnight, so the ride back was a lot quieter. Ash was sitting in the near-empty rear cabin, taking advantage of the solitude to comb the salt from Pikachu’s fur where no one could get mad at him for the mess.

“If you’re gonna start competing in these kinda races, we’re really gonna have to work on your cross-country speed!” he said cheerfully. “You’re not exactly built for swimming races, buddy!”

“Pika-pika…!” it cooed, obviously too blissed out from the comb to really care what he was saying.

Ash chuckled, lifting his shoulders at the thought. “As long as you don’t start tryin’ to enter sky-races. You’re a good swimmer, but I’m not sure even you can fly! Ooh, unless we tie balloons around you! How about that, buddy? Would you like that?”

“Pii-ka!” it cheered, only to trail off into pleased mumbles as the comb pressed into the fur on its neck.

Any further fantasies were cut off at the sound of footsteps, and Ash looked around to make sure it wasn’t a porter come to tell him off for grooming his pokemon on carpet. But it was just Goh and Scorbunny, both of them carrying snacks.

“Dinner won’t be for an hour or so, but I figured you’d be hungry,” Goh explained as he dropped a bag of bread rolls beside Ash’s hip.

“Oh, wow, Goh! You’re the best! Thank you so much!” he gasped, but grabbed Pikachu to keep it from lunging for the pokepuffs Scorbunny was carrying. “Hey, hold on. We can eat after you’re clean, okay?”

It pouted but settled down with nothing but a few mutinous grumbles, while Scorbunny gave it a smug look. “Scor-bun scor-scorbunny!”

“Pi-ka-chu,” it grumbled back, scowling when Scorbunny took a large and pointed bite of one of the pokepuffs.

Since Pikachu was generally behaving, Ash ignored the exchange to instead watch Goh sit down in front of them, wondering why he looked so excited. He was almost grinning.

“It was kinda busy before, but I figured we should debrief,” he said, clutching his ankles to keep himself from bouncing.

Ash blinked. “Debrief?”

“Talk about it!”

“About… the race? Or Piplup and Croagunk?” he asked. They hadn’t really settled into a rhythm about how they worked once the field stuff was done yet, but it seemed kind of strange to talk about their reports now.

“No! About how we battled together! For real!” cried Goh. “Mantyke and Scorbunny! I gave them orders and they did them and it worked perfectly!”

He blinked again, the memory of their fight with Team Rocket coming back a little slow, before he gasped and grinned. “Hey, you’re right! That was awesome, Goh! Congratulations!”

“It was great, wasn’t it? It came so naturally!” he said. “It’s nothing like it was in the Flute Cup. I knew Mantyke’s moves from the pokedex, and I knew it’d be effective, so I just did it! And it was great! No need to charge it up with a status effect, and it just _worked_! It was so cool!”

“Yeah! And you’ve only been partners for a few hours!” he cheered. “It was really great, Goh, you’ll be a top-tier battler in no time!”

Naturally, Goh revelled in the praise, tilting his head up, eyes closed as he grandly touched his chest, practically sparkling as he said, “Well, when you catch such strong pokemon like I do, there’s no way you can lose for long!”

Ash tried not to laugh, instead looking back down at Pikachu’s fur. He had been planning to do a thorough job, but it seemed kinda mean when there was a pokepuff waiting. Besides, the salt hadn’t really gotten deep enough to be really irritating… He decided to just finish up the tail and do everything else once they were back home.

But while he shifted his attention, Goh leaned over his ankles, shoulders up around his ears as he continued in more hushed tones. “So those Team Rocket guys… they were the ones we met first, right? Those ones that called you Twerp? What d’you think they were doing in Sinnoh?”

“Who knows?” he said absently. “They show up all over the place. You blast ’em and they go away for a while, so who cares?”

“But what about the pokemon?” he pushed. “Aren’t you worried? What if they were like Cubone?”

“Like Cubone?” he repeated, glancing up. “You mean… hurt? Beartic and Machamp weren’t hurting at all.”

“Really? Wait, how could you tell?”

He hesitated, abruptly remembering that the wrongness hadn’t been something anyone else had noticed. Goh had just thought Cubone was mean. Of course he wouldn’t have been able to tell these pokemon were only attacking because they felt like following the order.

But honestly, Ash would have been completely thrown in they had been like Cubone. Jessie and James were jerks, but they were good to pokemon. No way they—let alone Meowth—would’ve used pokemon that had been tortured until they couldn’t do anything but battle. They would’ve been just as upset as he was.

“That guy from before was different than these guys,” he said. “No way they’d use those Shadow Ball things.”

“Different, huh?” Goh shifted back, glancing up at the ceiling to consider. “Y’know, the internet doesn’t actually say a lot about Team Rocket. I actually thought there was only the one group. How many are there?”

“Group?” he repeated. “What d’you mean?”

“Like, how many Team Rockets are there?” he asked. “Is it just the two? Ones in black and ones in white? And Officer Jenny said something about higher ups?”

He shrugged vaguely. It wasn’t like he really knew how the Team worked. He’d just heard references to agents and officers and he’d kind of gotten the impression Jessie and James had been big deals, once. He still didn’t know what had happened there. “There’s loads of people in Team Rocket. They’re all the same thing, just different kinds of people and stuff, all doin’ different kinds of work. But they’re all bad guys,” he said, and then paused, focussing on Pikachu’s tail for a few moments before glancing up under his cap. “Those guys today are bad, but all of Team Rocket is dangerous.”

Goh hummed vaguely, tapping his fingers against his ankles as he thought about it. Assuming the conversation was over, Ash went back to Pikachu’s tail, not wanting to delay the reward of the pokepuff any more than necessary. Not that Pikachu seemed to care too much – the tail grooming was probably more than enough of a distraction.

Pikachu tails were actually one of those weird things that Ash had kind of become curious about lately, spending so much time with people who researched pokemon. They were different from most pokemon tails – super hard, more bone than flesh or fur, and the angles made them hard to groom. And yet all pikachu loved being petted on their tails. Pikachu never had any issue with how long Ash would have to spend getting dirt or—in this case—salt out of the curves and corners, because it was just more time gently scratching its tail. It must have felt amazing.

Was that on purpose? Did pikachu like people touching their tails because they were harder to groom? Or was it something about the electricity? Pikachu tails conducted electricity really well, so maybe it was something about all the nerves or… hmm. Maybe he’d ask Professor Cerise about it one day. Pokemon were so interesting, he was actually starting to get kind of excited about –

“Are you scared of them?”

“Huh?” Ash looked up with a wide-eyed blink. Why would he be scared of Pikachu? Wait, them? Who them?

But Goh was still watching him seriously. “Team Rocket. You don’t seem scared when we deal with them, but the way you talk about them makes it sound like they’re a way bigger deal than they’ve been so far. I was just wondering if maybe you were scared of what they could do.”

He blinked again, trying to backtrack to remember that yes, they had been talking about Team Rocket, and… He frowned. “Of course I’m scared of what they could do. They want to take away Pikachu. I don’t ever want that.” He finished up on the tail and knocked his knuckles against Pikachu’s back to wake it up. “You’re done for now – we can finish up at home.”

“Pi?” Pikachu slowly twisted around to look at him, processed what he’d said, and then perked up. “Pika! Pipikachuu!”

As it bounded over to take the pokepuff Scorbunny was still kindly holding for it, Ash tucked away his comb and grabbed the rolls Goh had brought. When he didn’t say anything else, Goh sighed irritably and loudly continued, “But you stop them so easy. You’re a really strong battler, Ash. Gym Leaders ask for your help! Those guys today were super weak, but the way you went against that guy with Cubone, or in the Flute Cup? They’re never gonna be able to beat you!”

Ash made a face around the roll he was already munching on. He appreciated the compliment, but it was a pretty dumb thing to say. Of course they could beat him. No one was unbeatable.

Not to mention, much as he hated to admit it, James was actually a really good battler when he could be bothered, and Meowth’s mecha could be pretty scary sometimes. And Jessie had so much trust in all pokemon that she was able to get some real incredible strength from them. Ash was _used_ to them, and so it was easy to make fun of them, but he also knew that they could have been a lot scarier than some creep in an alley trying to steal from easy marks.

Uh… not that… not that he was saying Goh was vulnerable, or anything. Goh was gonna be a really great trainer! Goh was… Goh was not aware he was even thinking this so he should probably refocus on the actual question.

What was the question? Was it a question? It was a bad point he had to argue. Right.

“They could. Anyone can get lucky, and Team Rocket is really good at hitting you when you don’t expect,” he said around a mouthful of bread. He swallowed to make sure his next point was clearer. “And it’s not just about that. They want to raise an army of pokemon and take over the world. _That’s_ scary.”

“Those two idiots today want to take over the world?” he asked incredulously.

Despite himself, Ash had to actually stop and think about that one. Because sometimes Jessie and James could be kind of hard to figure out. Even their motto could be confusing. Protect the world from devastation, but denounce the evils of truth and love? Ash didn’t get it. A world without love sounded pretty devastating to him. But at the same time… “Not them, but all of Team Rocket. Their boss wants to rule the world.”

“Why?”

He stared as he took another bite of roll. “What d’you mean, why? They’re bad guys. That’s what they do.”

Goh sighed like Ash was being ridiculous and straightened up a little, raising a finger in point. “There are billions of people on our world, Ash. Controlling all of them would be super hard. No one puts in that much effort for no reason!” he insisted. “So they’ve gotta have a motive, right? The internet just says they’re criminals, but you actually deal with them! You talk to them enough that they have a nickname for you! You’ve gotta know why they do stuff!”

“Um…” He paused, trying to remember whether he’d ever actually heard a real motive rant from Team Rocket.

Money? That sounded vaguely familiar. Power? Sure. But what was power, to that boss guy? It was all pretty vague. They’d never implied they didn’t actually like the world as it was now… They just… “They want… more.”

“More?”

“Yeah. They want more,” he said blankly. Because that was all it was, really.

“More what?”

“Everything.”

Goh stared at him, blinking rapidly, but he didn’t have anything else. Team Rocket weren’t trying to fix anything. They weren’t trying to defeat anyone in particular. Except him, sometimes. They didn’t care who knew about them, or how much money they had, or how many people or pokemon were on their team. They just wanted _more_.

It felt… uncomfortably familiar, sometimes.

“That’s… so childish,” Goh said, only to frown, furrowing his brow as he looked off to the side. “And actually… when you think about it, that is kind of scary. If they don’t have a goal, then they’ll never actually be satisfied. Even if they won, they’d just keep coming back.”

Ash stuffed the rest of his roll in his mouth and picked up another one. Food was easier than thinking about this stuff.

But Goh was still going, still considering. “That means they’ll never stop. No matter how many pokemon they steal, or money, or anything, they’ll just keep coming, until… wow. _Wow_.” He absently reached out, pulling Scorbunny away from its conversation with Pikachu to sit it in his lap. Scorbunny blinked, but then blushed and grinned, snuggling in closer, while Pikachu just laughed and hopped closer so they could continue. Goh barely noticed. “I think I get it now. Even if they’re no big deal to deal with… if we don’t keep putting them down… wow. That’s really scary.”

“Yeah, but it’s okay,” Ash said, swallowing another mouthful to smile at him. “Team Rocket might be really big, but there’s way more good people in this world than bad. As long as that’s true, you don’t really need to worry about it!”

Goh shifted back slightly, his shoulders dropping a little. “But… not everyone can fight bad guys like us. What if –”

“Not everyone can, but that’s why things like the gyms and leagues are so important! To build strong bonds between people and pokemon, and make incredible teams!” he said, pumping the fist holding his current roll. “As long as there are good people in this world, and people willing to fight for them, then no matter how bad things get, everything will always be okay. Even when it’s scary, and it seems nothing can ever go right, you just gotta remember: there are good people. And good always wins in the end.”

For a long time, Goh just stared at him, his brow furrowed in a look that Ash couldn’t quite read. It might have been annoyance, disgust, or disbelief. Or maybe it was just worry. But after almost a minute, it smoothed out into a strange, gentle smile. He squeezed Scorbunny a little closer and said, “Thanks, Ash. I like that idea.”

* * *

“So, all things considered… what d’you lugs think?”

Jessie heaved a deep breath, folding her arms up under her hair, and James tilted his head, tapping a finger against his cheek. They were floating on the remains of their magikarp submarine, waiting for Pelipper to come back and pick up their used pokeballs. They were whiling the time away by discussing why the twerp had made his way to Sinnoh of all places, apparently to enter his ridiculous pikachu in a swimming race.

There had been something about a piplup, too, but honestly anything could provide a catalyst for twerpish adventures, so they had already disregarded that.

“It’s all just so strange, don’t you think?” Jessie asked. “Who skips regions for a day trip?”

“And not even a serious one,” James agreed. “Not even the twerp brings a field rodent to a water race he wants to win.”

“Wobba,” Wobbuffet confirmed, while Meowth hummed.

“Maybe it’s got somethin’ to do with the new twerp. Could be a water-type trainer. Wouldn’t be the first time the twerp’s taken a newbie under his wing, so t’speak.”

“That twerp doesn’t look like a water-type trainer to me,” Jessie said dismissively. “Lack of blue aside, that white bunny thing is a partner if I’ve ever seen one. And it’s no water type.”

“Scorbunny, I think the pokedex called it?” James said lazily. “As in scorch? That’s definitely some kind of fire-type.”

“Hey, quiet down on the name-puns, you’ll ruin our pokemon mystique!” Meowth objected, but the humans ignored him, still gazing up at the sky.

“So perhaps he just came out for the piplup, and the race was nothing but a distraction,” James continued. “Maybe he’s just running cross-region errands for Professor Oak.”

“Sounds like the sort of goody-two-shoes thing he’d do,” drawled Jessie. She frowned, rolling onto her side to look at James. “So what? He’s given up on chasing leagues to become a full-time twerp? I don’t think so.”

He paused, watching the clouds as he considered the possibility. Their twerp had always had certain heroic tendencies, wandering off the beaten path of a focussed pokemon trainer to indulge in prophecies, world saving, and general do-gooder-ey. The whole uniformed superhero team he’d joined in Alola had been far less surprising than it really should have been from your standard Pokemon Trainer. And they were making a career out of general villainy – surely there must have been some kind of job in full-time heroics?

But… no. No, it just didn’t seem likely. Their twerp was far too in denial and much too stubborn to give up on his ridiculous dream and surrender to destiny like that.

“He must be doing something unusual,” Jessie pointed out. “Otherwise that bimbo Margarine—”

“Mahjong,” James corrected absently.

“—would never have come by asking about him,” she said. “Maybe there was something special about the piplup.”

“I don’t think so,” Meowth said, shaking his head. “Seemed like your standard crazy-jealous type t’me.”

“So back to the new twerp, then?” James suggested. “They seemed a little excitable… some kind of sheltered royal he’s providing bodyguard services to?”

“If that’s what passes for royalty these days, I’m glad to be a peasant,” Jessie said with a flick of her wrist. “Absolutely no style. Where’s the velvet dress? The crown? No, my money’s on the new twerp being some kind of nerd. The twerp attracts them almost as much as he attracts whiny little girls. And it would explain that frankly creepy level of interest they had in Meowth.”

“Just ’coz you two don’t appreciate my skills,” Meowth grumbled, but James hummed his agreement.

“But if the new twerp is just another trainer, then why would the infiltration team be interested?” he asked. “And what is the twerp doing that sends him all the way to Sinnoh for errands?”

“And do we really care?” asked Jessie. “Who cares what he does as long as it provides us with opportunities to swipe Pikachu and any other ridiculous pokemon he finds?”

“Wobbuffet,” Wobbuffet saluted, before pausing, its arm rising in quiet point as it added, “Wob… wobba?”

They paused, avoiding each other’s gaze.

They didn’t care about the twerp. They didn’t care what he was doing. They didn’t care who else was interested in him. All they cared about was snatching his pikachu, and then they’d probably keep chasing him around because the kid attracted rare pokemon even when he wasn’t playing superhero and skipping dimensions.

But he was _their_ twerp.

“If Giovanni was actually going after the twerp, he would have involved us,” James pointed out. “We know him better than anyone. Not even Matori could have stopped that.”

“She’d try,” Jessie said, frowning. “You know, I never did trust that four-eyed toad-woman. I bet she has some nasty schemes in mind. Schemes the boss doesn’t even know about!”

“That _would_ explain why Mahjong didn’t want us talkin’ to no one,” Meowth added. “Maybe she’s goin’ behind the boss’s back!”

“That sneaky little snake!” Jessie yelled, shoving herself to her feet. “Well! That settles that, then!”

“Settles what?” James asked blankly, and Jessie clenched her fists.

“We’re going to find out what she’s planning!” she announced. “We’ll find out, and on the extremely off chance that it’s actually a good idea, then we’re going to pull it off before she can!”

“And present the boss with all the spoils!” Meowth agreed, jumping up too. “We’ll be the villains of the hour!”

James blinked at them both, not following, but then shrugged philosophically. At the very least, they could find out what was going on.


	7. (Broken) Trust

Contrary to what she might tell him herself, there were very few people Misty trusted more than Ash Ketchum.

It was something that had happened slowly… anger had turned to fascination, and then a tentative friendship turned to something deeper than she’d ever felt before. But even though she knew Ash had changed over the years, she still clung to that relationship they’d had in the beginning. He was stronger and more reliable now, but a big part of her still wanted him to be that lost little boy that desperately needed her support.

Which was just one of the reasons why it hurt to admit she actually needed his help.

“Let’s get one thing straight, Ash Ketchum,” she said roughly, while he blinked at her over the telephone line. “I’m not asking for help! I am perfectly capable of handling this on my own!”

As expected, all those years of kindness and understanding instantly melted away, and Ash settled his weight back in the chair with a smug grin. He even folded his arms over his chest as he asked, “Yeah? So why’re you calling me then?”

“Because it’s more efficient,” she said, and turned her head away, nose in the air. “I’m a busy girl, I don’t have time for this kind of thing anymore! It’s a waste of my time!” She looked at the screen from the corner of her eye, hoping her arrogance was beating out his smugness. “But you’re never doing anything useful, so it makes more sense for you to do it.”

“Hey! I have a job now!” he snapped, unfolding his arms to instead slam his fist on the desk next to Pikachu, who was rolling its eyes at the pair of them. “Helping Professor Cerise is super important! We do all kinds of research!”

“Oh, please. You just got through telling me how your super important research led you to a cyndaquill riding a fearow!” she scoffed. She had been incredibly touched to hear the whole story, of course, where Ash had once again helped someone remember their passion and hope, but it was more fun to make Ash’s shoulders rise in petulant anger.

“We were looking into sightings of Ho-oh! It could have been the real thing! It could’ve been a total breakthrough of science!”

“But it _wasn’t_ ,” she said, and turned her head just enough to gift him with a smirk. “But don’t you worry, I’m not actually going to pull you away from your ‘super important research’ of paper mâché.”

He was boiling now, and Pikachu sighed in resigned amusement. It had always seen a lot more humour in their arguments than either of them. Misty lifted a hand to her jaw to complete the arrogant, careless image, ensuring Ash wouldn’t really pay a lot of attention to what she was saying until it mattered.

“I heard from May that you left one of your pokemon with her father recently, to help guard against troublemakers in his gym,” she said. “I decided you might as well do the same for me.”

Pikachu blinked, humour immediately lost as it no doubt heard what Ash was too angry to notice. He, thankfully, only scowled more heavily. “And why would I wanna do somethin’ like that?”

“Well, it’s a waste of all that talent, having your pokemon hang around Oak Ranch all bored,” she said. “You never give Kingler any exercise! It would be much better for it to stay with me for a while.”

“Ha!” he barked, and refolded his arms with a huff. “No way. My pokemon are always training hard with each other on Oak Ranch. I’m not letting you ruin all Kingler’s good work by having it laze around with your fish!”

Ugh. She’d played it too far. So she huffed and turned back to face him again. “Honestly, Ash Ketchum, don’t you listen? You loaned Sceptile to May’s dad! I’m just asking the same of Kingler!”

“That’s totally different!” he cried. “People are bothering Norman’s pokemon! Sceptile’s there to protect them!”

“And Kingler can protect my pokemon!” she snapped, and Ash very nearly shot something back before the words apparently processed and he froze. She could almost see realisation dawning on his face, so she quickly turned her head away again, trying to recapture her careless arrogance. “Like I said: I’m not asking you for help. I could totally take care of this on my own, but I can’t just wait around for idiots who don’t even have the decency to show up on a regular schedule. I just need a pokemon that’s strong enough and has the time to waste on guard duty! That’s all!”

“Pikachupi…” Pikachu said softly, while Ash settled into his determined face. She turned her head further away to avoid it, because she was _not_ going to be worried about.

“This is such a pain! If my sisters were actually any use they’d be taking care of this,” she said. “Daisy at least! But they’re all so focussed on their shows, like I don’t already have to take care of all their finances and marketing! I mean, Brock is helping out Forrest, and he’s only one person, _and_ he’s studying to become a doctor! My sisters are so useless!”

It was important to complain about the non-important things. It softened the blow. Because she didn’t want him to hear how scared she was. She didn’t want to tell him that all the gym leaders from Kanto to Hoenn were having similar weird experiences. Broken fences, crumbling walls, tired pokemon and strange coincidences. Because as dense as he was, and as much as she liked to tease him, Ash _wasn’t_ stupid. And she didn’t want him to realise what they were all beginning to suspect: Team Rocket were organising and building up again.

If he realised that, he’d want to do something about it. But the thing was, Team Rocket _wasn’t_ Ash’s problem. Jessie and James, sure, but not the real Team Rocket. They were a big criminal organisation; not the responsibility of a single trainer that currently wasn’t even signed on to the League. It wasn’t Ash’s job to take care of things like this. It _wasn’t_ his responsibility to save people. He was just a dumb, irresponsible guy with too much heart and not enough sense.

It hurt to even pull him in this much.

“Okay, Misty.”

She blinked, and then turned her gaze to look at him from the corner of her eye.

Ash wasn’t smiling. He didn’t ask any questions. He just met her gaze stoically and said, “I’ll go back to Pallet tonight and drop Kingler off tomorrow morning.”

Her fingers curled into her arm, nails biting against the skin.

It was what she’d wanted. But she still hated it.

“Thank you, Ash.”

* * *

Although Goh had awkwardly offered to come with him, Ash decided to take the round trip to Pallet and Cerulean alone. For one thing, Goh had been pretty busy writing up notes on his new pokemon and their illusory abilities. For another, while Ash was pretty sure the offer had been genuine, Goh had been kind of nervous. They spent almost all their time together these days, but seeing his hometown seemed like a step Goh wasn’t quite ready to take. It was probably too personal.

So Ash had only Pikachu for company as he rang the bell on Oak Labs. But it was weirdly comforting when it was Tracey to open the door and guide him through to the ranch. He hadn’t realised how much he’d wanted to see a friend. Even if that friend did like to ask weird questions.

“So you’re loaning out another pokemon, huh? Do you think that you might start doing it professionally?”

“Professionally?” repeated Ash. “Whaddaya mean?”

“There are some trainers that raise pokemon, and then let people hire them for work,” he explained. “Like machamps for building, or how the Squirtle Squad works for the fire department. Squirtle could be getting you a really solid income right now, y’know.”

Ash blinked. “I don’t get it. Squirtle wanted to help its team.”

“We want to help the professors and we still get paid for what we do,” Tracey said, which didn’t seem to have anything to do with anything, but then Tracey often made comments like that. Ash tried to keep up.

“What’s that got to do with _me_ getting money for what _Squirtle_ does?”

As he opened the door to the ranch, Tracey glanced back at him with a smile. “Y’know Ash, one day you’re gonna realise how much the world takes advantage of you.”

Pikachu laughed and said it was pretty unlikely, which was as good a sign as any that he was being made fun of. So Ash just scowled and let it go. He’d long since realised that trying to figure out why people were laughing at him only made them laugh more.

“How’s everyone been?” he asked instead. “You haven’t had any problems with Team Rocket, right?”

“Nope. Just the usual arguments,” he said. “I’d be pretty amazed if someone did try and attack us, though. All of our pokemon are from active trainers, and your team’s really good at keeping everyone motivated for battle training. They’d be good at defending themselves.”

He smiled, but was quickly distracted by the light of a fire on the far side of the field. He couldn’t quite see, but the distinct orange colouring told him it was a collection of fire-types, and Pikachu perking up on his shoulder confirmed the feeling he had in his chest. His charizard and pignite were trading flamethrowers.

“You wanna go say hi for me?” he asked Pikachu, who glanced at him before grinning.

“Pika!” it confirmed, and then bounced off his outstretched arm to take off at a run.

Ash and Tracey watched it disappear into the crowd before carrying on toward the lake, though Tracey glanced at Ash as they walked. “Are you sure you don’t want to take any other pokemon with you? It’s not like it’d be a long trip if you needed to switch them out.”

“Mm…” For a couple of moments, Ash considered it, weighing things up in his head. Unless Professor Cerise sent him to one, it wasn’t like he was travelling in a new region to meet a lot of new friends, and if he was really being honest, he wasn’t really interested in building a new team like normal. With all the weird stuff that was going on, it would probably be a good idea to have some of his stronger pokemon around.

But the same part of him that always made him leave his old teams behind, encouraged him to form new teams from scratch, forced him to experiment with new styles in Unova, and allowed newbie trainers to travel alongside him told him not to.

Maybe it was because—even though it wasn’t a new region—he _was_ trying something new again. Maybe he and Pikachu wanted to be really open to new things. Or maybe he just wanted to support Goh, learning about new friends from the start. Whatever it was, he was happy to just keep five empty pokeballs on his belt, ready for whatever happened. He shook his head.

“As long as everyone’s still happy here, then they might as well stay,” he said. “No one’s been bored or anything, right?”

“Well,” Tracey said dryly, “I can’t say any of your pokemon have told me so!”

Which was reassuring right up until Ash remembered that Tracey like those kind of jokes, and he probably meant exactly what he said. He gave him a deadpan look in return. “Ha-ha. You know what I mean. Everyone’s happy?”

“They seem to be,” he said with a grin. “But I bet they’d all love to travel with you again if you wanted to take them.”

“I dunno. It’s not like I’m in a competition or anything,” he said. “I think most of my pokemon’d be bored travelling with me right now.”

“I don’t know if travelling with you could ever really be boring, Ash.”

He grinned, but didn’t bother answering as they reached the lake. Surprisingly, the first of Ash’s pokemon that they saw was actually Buizel, jumping up from where it had been sunbathing on the surrounding rocks.

“Hey Buizel!” Ash greeted as it bounded over to circle between his legs, sniffing at his bare ankles before coming up to stand in front of him, arms crossed, with a triumphant smile.

“Bweez!” it replied, then tilted its head, looking him up and down again. “Buizelbel?”

He smiled, setting one hand on his hip. He always kind of liked it when his other pokemon asked after Pikachu. It felt reassuring, somehow. “Pikachu went to say hi to Charizard and Pignite. How are you doing?”

It nodded once and explained it was doing great, and had been focussing on its speed and ice abilities. It offered to show him, and Ash very nearly agreed before remembering he was kind of on a schedule. He hadn’t called ahead, and his mom would be super ticked if he came home unannounced after she’d already started cooking dinner.

“Something wrong, Ash?” Tracey asked, and he looked up to see he was getting an apprehensive look. He laughed.

“No, I was just thinking about whether I’d have time to get some training in with Buizel,” he explained as he stood up. “Do you think Professor Oak would mind if I came back after dinner? Mom’ll be mad if I don’t get to the house soon, but Buizel’s looking so cool! I’d love to see how it’s doing!”

“Bui-zel!” it said proudly, and Tracey shrugged.

“I’ll let him know – he’ll probably call you if it’s not okay.”

Ash smiled down at Buizel, who unfolded its arms to instead prop them on its hips with a satisfied nod. “Buiza-bwee, Buizelbwee.”

“It’s a deal,” he agreed, but then added, “In the meantime, can you get Kingler out of the lake for me? I want to talk to it about something.”

“Buizel!” it agreed, and even though they were at least two metres from the lakeside, it turned and leapt up, arcing over the rocks to dive straight into the lake. Ash chuckled again. “Show off.”

Tracey smiled, but when he turned to look at him, he had one of those appraising looks again, eyebrows raised as he peered down his nose. “So how are you doing, Ash? Being a Research Fellow must be pretty different.”

“Actually, it’s kinda not,” he said honestly, shifting his weight back on his leg. “Professor Cerise tells us where to go, and we’ve got stuff we’re actually supposed to do, but a lot of what we’ve been doing so far is just going places and checking stuff out. Then we come back to the lab and tell everyone what we saw.”

Tracey nodded slowly. “That’s it?”

“Uh huh. We take a lot of photos, and Goh likes to write a whole bunch of stuff down, but I don’t have to,” he said. “I was kinda worried I wasn’t doing enough, but Professor Cerise says I am. He says I have a ‘unique perspective’. I don’t know what he means, since I’m not doin’ anything Goh isn’t, but I guess it doesn’t matter so long as it’s okay with him.”

He hummed thoughtfully, but any further conversation was cut off as Buizel leapt back out of the water to land, proud and just a little bit too flashy, on the rocks. Ash had just turned to watch Kingler emerge when he was blasted by a torrent of ice-hard bubbles ramming into his face.

Still small, confirming it was definitely still Bubble, not Bubblebeam. But it was also more like hail than the bouncy, elastic bubbles someone might have expected from a crab. Whatever it was, the attack was still strong and fast enough that he was knocked right off his feet, with enough condensed water that his hat and hair were soaked through in less than a second. He sat up, shaking his head to clear it, and blinked at his attacker. Kingler was hovering at the edge of the lake, most of its body still submerged with its larger claw playfully snapping at the water as it waited for his verdict. He grinned.

“That was awesome! Wow, Kingler! You must’ve been training so hard!”

He heard Tracey audibly sigh in amusement, but Ash didn’t care about that. He was way too proud to care what even his friends thought.

* * *

For a long time now, Ash had kind of… avoided telling his mother about some stuff.

It wasn’t that he lied. He didn’t even hide the truth. He just… didn’t bring up certain topics, and she didn’t ask about them, and they both just pretended that there was nothing else going on.

But she asked why Misty would want to borrow Kingler, and he didn't like to lie to his mom, so he told her what was going on.

Their dinner conversation got a lot more awkward and stilted after that.

“You know, I used to tell my mom everything,” he said to Pikachu as they wandered back through the empty streets toward the ranch. “Now, Professor Kukui would probably say she’s one of the first people I need to work on talkin’ to more.”

“Pika… chu?” Pikachu suggested, and he grimaced. It didn’t feel easy. But before he could start thinking too hard about why, Pikachu abruptly stopped, ears and tail lifting as it turned to look down the side street. “Pika?”

Ash blinked and tilted his head to check what had caught his best friend’s attention. His brow furrowed as he realised it was a girl.

She was young, maybe a little older than him, with two massive ringlets of differently coloured hair on either side of her head. Weirdest of all, he didn’t recognise her.

Pallet was a small town, and his mom’s restaurant was right in the middle of everything. Even with his terrible memory, and how much time he’d spent away from home lately, he still couldn’t avoid knowing literally everyone in Pallet’s name, job, and family. There wasn’t a Pokemon Centre or even a park, so unless they were visiting someone specifically, strangers usually left long before dark so they didn’t get in trouble for setting up camp on private property.

But sunset had been an hour ago, and this was a stranger.

She was dressed in travelling clothes, but had no backpack. She was leaning against the Milners’ fence.

She was staring right back at him, and he was pretty sure that was a smartphone pointed in his direction.

“Um,” he said, hesitating, then took a step toward her. “Hi. Are you new in town?”

She smiled and lowered the phone, tucking it into a pocket as she pushed off the fence. She didn’t say a word as she walked down the street and away from him. All too soon, she’d disappeared into the darkness.

“Pi…ka…?” Pikachu asked quietly, and Ash met its worried glance with his own.

“That… happened, right?” he asked, pointing in the direction she’d gone. “I didn’t just imagine that girl?”

“Pika.”

It was weird. He was almost tempted to follow her. But a much larger, less familiar part told him not to. He hesitated, then leaned down, extending an arm to his partner. “Let’s get going, buddy.”

It was pretty easy to forget the girl once he got to the ranch and discovered Buizel hadn’t exactly kept Ash’s promise to help with training to itself. He was greeted by all of his excited pokemon, even the ones that didn’t usually battle pushing their way forward for hugs and attention. He laughed and tried his best to greet them all, even managing to get through all of the tauros, but he knew that if they really wanted to train, he would have to be finished before nine. He’d had more than a couple of Professor Oak’s neighbours yell at him for late-night training sessions before.

So he compromised with everyone by setting out the rules of three three-on-three battles. The tauros were always just happy to cheer on their herd leader, and while some of them made a good show of looking disappointed, a few of them seemed relieved that they would be able to skip the training session. Leavanny didn’t even bother pretending to be upset, proudly proclaiming itself retired and immediately weaving Totodile a pair of pom-poms that it took to with gusto. Ash had to stop himself from laughing as it began trying to convince Scraggy to join a cheerleading dance.

But while it had seemed like a good idea at the time, once they got started, Ash quickly remembered why he usually only trained two-on-two at most. Keeping track of six pokemon at a time was hard, let alone trying to direct all of them, and especially when most of them hadn’t ever had to work together. Considering that most of his battles lately had barely been two-on-two in two-round combat… it was a bit of a difficulty spike.

“Barrel-roll, Staraptor! You can dodge faster without sacrificing your location!” he yelled up at it, because it absolutely could have avoided Charizard’s flamethrower better than it had by diving out of the way. But he couldn’t focus on that, because Boldore wasn’t moving either. “Donphan! Roll-out! Boldore, try to catch it with Flash Cannon! Glalie, get up in the air and use Icy Wind! Charizard, try and catch it for a Flaming Seismic Toss!”

“Pika pika chu!” Pikachu yelled, leaping around impatiently. Not that Ash could blame it – it had been a long time since he’d tried to battle with this many pokemon and everyone’s teamwork was rusty at best.

“Corphish, intercept with Bubblebeam! Staraptor, blow that out of the way with Aerial Ace! Tighter circles, Donphan!”

Honestly, by the time the third battle was done, Ash was more than a little exhausted. But even so, he grinned at his team broadly, wishing he had more time to spend with them. “That was amazing! I’m so proud of all of you.”

“Bay!” Bayleef yelled, and immediately threw itself at him. He yelped, not having been ready to hold it up, especially when Noivern glomped onto his other side, almost immediately followed by Oshawott, Gible, and Glisgor all clambering in for a spot. Completely covered in heavy pokemon, Ash crashed to the ground on a painful angle, but with all of his pokemon snuggling in and cheering, he couldn’t really do anything but laugh and hug them back as close as he could.

He really did have the best team in the whole world.

* * *

“I was going to make you breakfast! How is it you wake up early when you’re helping anyone but me and Professor Oak?” his mother demanded, and the café erupted in laughter. Ash tried not to blush, but it was kind of hard with half the parents in Pallet teasing him over their morning coffee.

“Heading out again already, Ashy-boy?” Mr Ariel asked playfully. “Such a responsible little salaryman! When did you get so grown up?”

“You know, it feels like just yesterday you were running through the streets half-dressed, yelling about missing the school bus,” Miss Caroline giggled. “And now here you are, up at seven am and off to work!”

“But still cute as a button!”

“And half the height!”

Suddenly, Ash was glad he had let Goh stay behind. He didn’t think he could have survived the embarrassment. “Okay, so, we’ll see you later, Mom. I’ll tell Mimey you said hi.”

“See you soon, honey! Bye-bye, Pikachu,” she added, but he had only just opened the door when she called out again, holding up her spatula for attention. “Ash-honey?”

He paused, glancing back at her, and she hesitated. He saw her swallow, her eyes flicking over him, before she gave him a strained smile and nod. “Please tell Misty to be careful. I... worry.”

He blinked, then lowered his gaze and walked out with only another, “Bye, Mom.”

Normally, he would have walked to Cerulean, but he had promised to be back at the institute in the afternoon, so that meant a bus ride. But as he watched the fields turn into forests, he couldn’t help thinking that maybe a walk would have been better. He would have needed to think about where he was going and keep an eye out for wild pokemon.

He wouldn’t have had so much time to wonder when he and his mother had stopped talking to each other.

It was such a dumb thing to think. He and his mom talked _all the time_. Even when he was half way around the world, he made sure to call her every few weeks at least. Because if he didn’t, then whenever he did call, he’d have to see the relief in her eyes as she realised that yes, he really was okay.

That horrible look of relief was one of the reasons he didn’t really tell her anything anymore.

She had never really been overprotective like other moms. She’d never stopped him going outside to play, or forbidden him from going places. She’d yell at him to get down from trees or cliffs, but only if she actually saw him climbing them. More often than not, she actually encouraged his exploring habits, often asking him where he’d go to find new friends next, and laughing when she heard about his encounters with wild pokemon.

When he’d turned ten, she’d been just as excited as he was, talking about how great it would be once he was out there in the world. She’d wanted him to go out, learn who he wanted to be, grow up, grow stronger…

But after a while, her enthusiasm dropped.

Maybe it was because of his father, who never called or came home. Maybe she was lonely. Or maybe it was because it hadn’t just been a quick one-year journey. He hadn’t just learned some responsibility and come home, older and wiser. He’d learned enough to solidify his dreams, and decided he was a Pokemon Trainer for life.

That was when her goodbyes stopped being so playful, and started feeling heavier. She started asking him to call home more. She asked him to do his heroics a little closer to home. They both realised she missed him more than he missed her.

And then… stuff started happening.

Stuff that even Ash knew wasn’t normal. Stuff that was a lot worse than climbing trees or scaling sheer stone walls. And not just Team Rocket, which she’d always rolled her eyes at and treated like a nuisance, but… big stuff.

He didn’t really know why she’d stopped asking, but as he got off the bus and started down the walking track to the gym, he remembered why he’d stopped volunteering the information.

It was the look. Sharp, angry eyes, a clenched jaw, and trembling lips. And the memory of that horrible argument they’d had, when he’d tried to so hard to explain that some risks were worth taking and she yelled at him that they weren’t. It was the first time he'd known, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that his mother was _wrong_.

Maybe he was reckless. But he wasn’t irresponsible. And deep down, they both knew it. But it hurt her to admit it, and he never wanted to cause his mother any pain.

But the silence felt like a gap that was slowly starting to widen. Eventually, they were going to have to bridge it. Ash knew that. He knew his mom knew that.

He just didn’t want to have the conversation to start it.

“Piika.”

He blinked out of his thoughts, glancing first at Pikachu and then around at the path ahead. Since it was a walking path, it had seemed safe enough to not pay attention, but there were two people in horribly familiar black uniforms standing in his way. He jerked back in shock, hand instinctively falling to his hip. “Wha – Team Rocket?!”

“Oh-ho! What do we have here?” one of them, a guy who quickly turned to reveal the red R on his jacket, crowed. “Up pretty early, aren’t you?”

The other was female, with bright pink hair and a nasty smile. She tipped her cap as she turned to look at him. “I think I recognise this kid. It’s the one Arlo sent that message about.”

“The one who messed up our plans in Vermillion?” he asked. “Ha. Well, we’ll see how well it goes this time.”

Ash growled, spreading his feet for a better stance while Pikachu settled in at the ready in front of him. “Look, I don’t know what you crooks are up to, but you better get out of here! Quit messing with the Cerulean Gym!”

“Oh, how cute! You’re telling us what to do?” the woman cackled, and pulled out one of those horrible black pokeballs. “Let me give you some advice, kid: these waters are treacherous!”

“Get ready to be shocked!” the man added, lifting his own Shadow Ball.

“Two on one, huh?” Ash asked, and unhooked Kingler’s pokeball. “Not this time! Kingler, I choose you!”

All three pokemon materialised at once, and Ash grit his teeth against the horrible feeling emanating from the Rocket jerks’ electabuzz and poliwag. They both hissed, and Pikachu and Kingler hunched, ready for the fight.

Normally, Ash preferred to let his opponents go first, so he could size them up a little. But this was no fair fight, and the pain of the Shadowed Pokemon made him twitchy. He threw out his arm in signal. “Pikachu! Quick attack Electabuzz! Kingler, show these jerks a real Crabhammer!”

“Poliwag, water –” was as far as the female Rocket got before Kingler’s claw slammed into Poliwag. Hot, white, and wet, the powerful strike sent Poliwag crashing into the hard concrete path, knocked out before its trainer could even get to the final syllable.

On the other side, Pikachu flickered out of sight, barely more than a white light as it sprinted behind Electabuzz, round to its far side, and then launched up into its unprotected flank. With a cry of pain, Electabuzz stumbled but didn’t drop, and the male Rocket flinched at the sudden movements but rallied in time to order an attack, “Thunderwave, Electabuzz!”

“Kingler, get out of there! Pikachu, dodge!” Ash yelled as the other Rocket sent out her next pokemon. Poliwrath appeared standing over Poliwag’s muddy body with a roar, beating its chest so hard that Ash could almost see ripples over its muscle. Electricity blanketed the space Kingler had been as both it and Poliwrath leapt backward, and Ash shifted his stance to punch the air. “Hyperbeam! Pikachu, keep them back with Iron Tail!”

“Pikapika!” Pikachu confirmed, ripping through the dissipating thunderwave like it was nothing, tail shining and sparking in equal measures. The moment it was close enough, it tumbled through the air, striking Electabuzz dead-centre on its chest. That was finally enough, sending it careening backward, but the Rocket just sneered and returned it before it could even hit the ground. Another electabuzz almost immediately stood in its place.

“Thunderpunch that rat!” the man ordered, while the woman pointed a little more viciously.

“No pulled punches here! Hydropump!” she cried, and both pokemon lunged into furious attacks.

Checking Kingler’s energy charge, Ash swung his arm up, gesturing for Pikachu to move. “Dodge and intercept, Pikachu! Iron tail again!”

“Pika!” it acknowledged, leaping up over the punch to lightly balance on Electabuzz’s forearm before launching off, tail still shining as it swung around, slicing the jet stream into two harmless arcs.

“Great work, now Electroweb!”

“Move, you stupid thing!” the Rocket woman yelled, and Poliwrath dove out of the way of the net while Electabuzz just tried to punch right through it. Instead, the electricity surged up and around its arm, spinning it off balance and down to be pinned against the dirt. It wasn’t knocked out, but the male Rocket tsked and threw out a third ball anyway.

Yet another electabuzz materialised, but as angry as it was, it still paused to look around. When it saw the other electabuzz, trapped under Pikachu’s web, it roared, screaming so much pain and anger that Ash actually stumbled back, hands rising up near his head on instinct.

He hated this. He hated those Shadow Balls so much.

“What’s the matter, brat? You thought just because you got a few lucky shots in that we’d quit?” the man jeered. “Team Rocket never stops coming! Electabuzz, Thunder!”

“Poliwrath!” the woman add, “Pound!”

He hated them. He had to stop them. He had to –

“Piika!” Pikachu called, and Ash flinched, glancing first at it, then over at Kingler. The hyperbeam was ready, so he blinked hard to refocus and shoved his arm out toward Electabuzz.

“Switch partners! Kingler, go! Pikachu, Thunderbolt to the far right!”

“Kinnng…” Kingler opened its claw, revealing the swirling mass of energy for a split second before it burst out and forward. “LAR!”

Thank goodness it worked – the beam slammed out, shooting over the prone electabuzz to crash into the final one so hard that it was knocked off its feet and into the male Rocket. They both tumbled to the ground in a dazed heap, not quite out of the game, while Pikachu’s thunderbolt just barely managed to distract Poliwrath enough for its pound to go wide. It just missed Kingler, and Ash tried to take a second to pull himself together. He couldn’t focus on these pokemon’s pain right now.

“Ugh! Just give up already!” the woman yelled. “Poliwrath, Body Slam!”

Poliwrath. Probably another pokemon. And there were two electabuzz that could possibly get up and fight again. All against his two pokemon. Ash swung around, pointing at the male grunt and his current partner. “Pikachu, electroweb those two! Kingler, show Poliwrath what you’ve got with Vise Grip!

As Poliwrath ran forward, body bulking up in preparation, Kingler drew back its claw at the ready. Pikachu threw out its electroweb, pinning both electabuzz and the male Rocket to the ground beside the last one, and Ash tried to ignore another wave of frustration and anger. He didn’t know what was going on, but he felt like he was panicking slightly, heart and mind unable to settle even as he tried to zero in on his partners.

Luckily, they were in better shape than him. In its one massive claw, Kingler caught Poliwrath right around the middle and hefted it up overhead before slamming it down, hard, against the grass. It then squeezed, and Ash clenched his fist to keep himself grounded against another breathless wave of panic.

“Nice work! Now throw it!” he ordered, and pumped his clenched fist. “Pikachu, finish it off with thunderbolt!”

“Pika-pikachu!” it yelled, perfectly timed so that Kingler had barely released Poliwrath before the electricity surrounded it.

“I’m _not_ done!” the woman cried, returning Poliwrath and pulling out another Shadow Ball that almost immediately revealed a Politoed. It, like Electabuzz before it, paused after coming out to stare at the fallen. It visibly balked at the sight of Poliwag, before looking up and around at Ash and his pokemon with wild, furious eyes behind the Shadow Ball’s red glow. The need for vengeance was so powerful that it made him flinch again, badly enough that Pikachu glanced back at him in concern.

“Pikapi…?”

His pokemon were counting on him. All the pokemon here needed help. He needed to focus. “You might not be done, but we sure are! Pikachu! Kingler! Let’s give this everything we’ve got!”

The Rocket woman sneered, turning to face Ash dead-on. “Politoed. _Perish_ Song.”

“Are you crazy?” he yelped. He’d barely ever seen that command given – Perish Song was too risky, too dangerous. There were two still conscious pokemon on her side that could both hear and get loose!

But if Politoed realised any of that, it didn’t care. It glared right at him as it opened its mouth to begin singing. “Po-liii-tooooed…”

“No!” he yelled, and swung up both hands in a cross before whipping them bother out, refusing the battle. “Crabhammer, Thunderbolt, let’s go!”

“King!” Kingler agreed, scuttling forward with its claw already shining, while Pikachu leapt up into the air, slapping its cheeks at the ready.

“Piii… kaa…”

“Kingler!” Kingler’s claw slammed into Politoed’s head, but it didn’t stop singing even as Kingler leapt back again, leaving Pikachu a clean shot.

“Move!” the woman yelled, but too late, and not enough. Pikachu’s thunderbolt lashed out, striking the ground between her and her pokemon. It erupted into an explosion, sending grass, dirt, and wind everywhere as Politoed’s song turned into a scream.

By the time the explosion settled, the screaming had stopped and Ash was only waiting to check out of habit. He knew Politoed was done. The Rocket woman was hunched over, coughing helplessly as she tried to fan dust from her face. She wouldn’t be able to do anything for a while.

As expected, Politoed was knocked out, protectively curled over Poliwag even in unconsciousness. But the two Electabuzz were awake and spitting fury, making the other Rocket cringe back as best he could under the electroweb. He was probably closer to the brainwashed pokemon than was safe.

It was all… a lot. But the battle was over for now. Ash snatched out his pokeball and returned Kingler, then scrambled forward, sliding to his knees in the broken concrete and grass over Politoed. “Pikachu! Come on!” he yelled as he hefted the frog over his shoulder. He scooped up Poliwag with the other arm, spared the two electabuzz an apologetic glance that only made them angrier, and then surged up to barrel his way past the shocked Rocket. “Let’s go!”

He couldn’t always save everyone. But he could get these two to Misty’s gym.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not good at action scenes. I shouldn't write them. Why do I keep trying to write stories with action in them, I ask you?


	8. Old news (to some)

In a glass room overlooking the rocky cliffs of southern Kanto, the oppressive silence of the sound-proofed room was broken by the swish of the automatic door. The two occupants turned away from the window to greet the newcomer, but he sneered, cutting it off before either of them could speak.

“Mahjong’s been in touch,” he said, lifting a folder. “We have a problem.”

“I don’t like problems,” Cliff said, shoving off the window and stalking over to the conference table. Cliff was a massive tower of a man, with broad shoulders and a deep chest, topped by a strong jaw and glittering dark eyes. Growing up on the streets, he’d worked hard to gain the muscles to match his gangling height, and used the resulting size as an intimidation tactic. His terse, furious tone was habit more than intentional, and so his colleagues ignored it as they moved over to join him.

Sierra pulled out one of the high-backed chairs and swung into it, one long leg sliding over the other in a graceful, somehow impatient movement. Unlike Cliff, the others knew every single thing she did was calculated and planned, and so her direct focus was enough of a hint even without her asking, “Internal or external?”

“Both,” the newcomer said, dropping his folder down on the table as he passed. The three of them had been working together for months now, but Arlo was still technically the newest member to the organisation as a whole. He made up for both that and his much smaller size with cold fury that radiated out of him with even the smallest movement, including him tossing a program from his wrist-computer to the conference room projector screen. A dark picture appeared, obviously taken at night, of a young boy in blue walking with a pikachu. The next picture was a tighter shot and included the boy frowning at the camera. “This is Ash Ketchum. A Pokemon Trainer that is apparently well known to our organisation.”

“Looks like a punk,” Cliff said, folding his arms over his chest, and Sierra tilted her head in consideration.

“When you say ‘known’, do you mean he’s a potential recruit or an enemy?”

“That I can’t figure out,” Arlo said, moving around the table to stand closer to the screen. “He’s some kind of special project for Jessie and James.”

They shifted slightly in response. Jessie and James were anomalies and always a mystery to the rest of the Team. Once, they had been the most of impressive and fastest rising field agents in Team Rocket’s arsenal, before they all but disappeared almost overnight, becoming jokes that still somehow stayed in Giovanni’s graces. They took their orders direct from him, and were often the lead agents in a new region, but no one really knew what they did or what their directives could possibly be. They never seemed to achieve anything. And yet they’d never been punished or cut loose. They were just… there.

It was suspicious.

“Cliff, the file,” Sierra said, extending a hand, and he leaned over to pass it over. She flicked it open as Arlo clicked to a new image – this one less clear despite the better light, taken from above, with a cubone in the boy’s arms. “What do we know about him?”

“He’s a battle trainer with a suspicious track record,” Arlo reported, staring up at the picture. “He has a ranked place in every League he’s entered, never lower than the top sixteen. He successfully completed the Orange Islands League and Battle Frontier, and most recently won the first Alola League. He has a tendency to win any minor battle tournament he’s involved in. He’s been in a handful of independent media, including multiple films, and is surprisingly well known in the Pokemon Science community.”

“A tween celebrity,” Cliff scoffed, but Arlo scowled over his shoulder.

“Did I _say_ that? Despite all of his accomplishments, he’s managed to stay out of the spotlight. Even the Alolan media did little more than report his name and pokemon,” he said, and moved off the photographs to click through images of news articles and websites. “He’s currently employed as a Research Fellow at the Cerise Institute, and it’s the most reported element of his career yet. It’s unnatural.”

“Or he’s less photogenic than your pictures imply,” Sierra said, dropping the folder on the desk in front of her. “Why is he of interest to us?”

“Because he’s interfered with our project,” Arlo said, clicking back to the picture with the cubone. “One of our agents attempted to steal his pokemon, and was engaged in battle. Not only did Ash Ketchum win, one pokemon against our agent’s three, but Mahjong claims he was able to break through the Shadow Ball program.”

Both Cliff and Sierra balked, and exchanged glances before refocussing on him more intently. “How?”

“She doesn’t know. But you can see for yourself in this picture – that is the pokemon in question, and yet he was able to pick it up,” he said, gesturing to the image. “Our leash is supposed to be unbreakable. Pokemon under the influence of Shadow Balls are not supposed to be able to respond to any word or touch without violence. And yet Mahjong saw him not only pick Cubone up, but hand it in to Officer Jenny as a peaceful pokemon. Apparently, its trainer _kissed_ it hello,” he added with a sneer, but the other two ignored the commentary to focus on the reported facts.

“Maybe it was a fluke,” suggested Cliff. “A bad Shadow Ball.”

“That’s a possibility,” Sierra agreed. “But we should investigate. Even if it turns out to be nothing, a boy with so many accomplishments will have some powerful pokemon. I want them.”

“Agreed,” Arlo said, and they both looked up at Cliff. “According to Mahjong, he went to Cerulean. Contact your grunts – have them track him down.”

He nodded, unfolding his arms again and stepping back from the desk. “We want the punk brought in?”

“Not yet,” he said. “Not until we know he’s worth our time.”

“No worries, then. I’ll get to the bottom of this,” he said, and turned on his heel to march out of the conference room.

Once the door had shut behind him, Sierra turned her attention back to Arlo. “If this boy is Jessie and James’ special project, why would Team Rocket be so interested in him? League Trainers don’t normally join criminal organisations, but his career history hardly makes him sound like a threat.”

“No,” Arlo agreed. “I’m going to find out.”

“Giovanni might not like that,” she observed. “We of all teams know how he can be about secret projects.”

He paused, looking at her appraisingly. “Are you planning to get in my way?”

“Not at all. But I won’t back you up if things go sour,” she warned, and he nodded, turning back to the picture.

“No one ever does.”

* * *

Slapping the water with his palm, Ash smiled at Poliwag, trying to remind it. “You like to splash, right? You remember?”

Poliwag glared at him through burning red eyes, tail thrashing menacingly. It hadn’t calmed down since coming back to consciousness.

From the second he grabbed them, Ash had hated not being able to focus on what it and Politoed had been showing him. But as he ran to Misty’s gym, all Ash could think about was the two electabuzz he’d left behind, and how he’d so nearly screwed everything up. He’d been so distracted and out of it through that entire battle – he nearly could have lost it all.

But now they were safe inside the arena, and Misty had opened the pool for them. She’d disappeared to call Officer Jenny, leaving Ash time to stop being angry at himself and focus on the pokemon he’d taken from Team Rocket.

Politoed was still snarling a few feet away under the watchful eye of gyarados and slightly less focussed gaze of Psyduck. But Ash had a feeling Politoed would be easy once he’d dealt with Poliwag. Besides, Poliwag’s flashes were brighter and gentler; less painful than Politoed’s. They felt easier to reach, somehow.

All of them included a pool, but they revolved around the fact that Poliwag was growing up alongside a little boy. They both loved the sound the water made when you smacked it.

Standing between him and Poliwag, Pikachu looked up at Ash, then turned and hit its tail against the water as well. “Pi-pi-pi-pi. Pikachu?” It glanced back at Ash. “Pi-ika?”

“Yup,” he said, purposefully tapping out of time with Pikachu’s tail. “Splish, splish, splish.”

Poliwag was so dark and angry, but its eyes quickly focussed on the water. It watched the droplets fly.

“Pikachu!” Pikachu cheered quietly. “Pi-pi-pi!”

Slowly, the anger began to fade, focus overtaken by memory. Eventually, Poliwag turned, and cautiously flicked its own tail down beside Pikachu’s. “Li-li-li.”

“That’s it,” Ash encouraged it. “Splish, splish, splish.”

“Li-li-li,” it repeated, but then blinked, memory and joy quickly rushing back in a warm wave. It paused, then abruptly smacked its tail down hard, throwing water up and over Ash and Pikachu. Startled, they both jerked back, and Poliwag cackled, dancing a little before slapping the water again. “Poliwag!”

Ash grinned, scooping up a handful of water to throw back. “That’s it! It’s fun, right?”

Pikachu squealed, dodging out of the way, while Poliwag laughed again, spinning in an excited circle. Obviously, it wasn’t the type to dwell on things.

In contrast… Ash looked up and over at Politoed.

It was already wavering, looking more confused than angry as it watched Poliwag laugh. All politoed were leaders. They liked having a family to look after. This one was no exception – Ash had seen a trainer giving it the king’s rock because it had done such a good job looking after the rest of its family. It had been trying to do that when Team Rocket caught it. It sacrificed itself so a baby poliwag could get away.

Leaving Pikachu to continue splashing with Poliwag, Ash pushed himself up to walk around and stand in front of Politoed. It stared up at him, still angry, but the red glow was fading. He smiled. “It was really brave of you, trying to save Poliwag. I bet your trainer’s gonna be so proud of you when we get you home.”

It glared at him. “Politoe.”

“We’ll find him,” he promised. “My friend Misty’s already gone to call Officer Jenny, and she’s amazing. She’ll find your trainer right away. I bet you’ll be home before you know it.”

“Poli…” It wavered, looking over at Poliwag, then up at Gyarados, before coming back to Ash. A little more energy seemed to slip away, and it blinked twice, brown eyes beginning to shine through. “Poli… toed?”

“Promise,” Ash said, and crouched down to meet it on its own level, extending one hand in offer. “I’m real sorry this all happened to you. But you can go home now. As soon as Officer Jenny finds out where that is, I bet your trainer will come running.”

The last of its anger was swallowed up by relief and sadness. It nodded, and then sank down to the ground, folding in on itself. “Pol-poli-toed. Politoed poli-pol.”

He wasn’t entirely sure what it was trying to say, but Ash gently rubbed its head in consolation and comfort. This whole experience was lousy for everyone. Politoed didn’t need to feel guilty on top of everything else.

The door to the backstage opened, and Ash looked up in time to watch Misty slip inside, carrying a first aid kit. “I called Officer Jenny. She said she’d have a look around the path, but I should bring the pokemon to her as soon as Nurse Joy clears them. So that’s where I’ll head first.”

“Thanks, Misty,” he said, giving Politoed one last pat before standing up again. “Sorry to bring all this trouble.”

“Well, I dunno what else I should’ve expected, asking you for help,” she said breezily, and he flinched, fists clenching.

“Hey! What kinda thing is that to say?” he snapped. “Man, I should just take Kingler and go home!”

“After you bring two crazed pokemon to my gym? You better not!” she cried, but then pointed at the stands. “Now quit whining and sit down.”

“What? Why should I?”

She scoffed. “If you think I’m letting you leave here like that, then you’re even crazier than I remember.”

“Like what?” he asked, looking down at himself. He was dressed fine. He hadn’t even gotten that dirty yet. He – he blinked as he caught sight of a bit of dirt on his leg, and then extended it out to realise his knees were scuffed. Dirt, grass, and dried blood stains coated his shins. He made a face at them before looking up at Misty again. “Oh, come on. No one’s even gonna notice!”

“Ash Ketchum!” she snapped, stomping her foot. “Stop being a pain and let me clean you up or so help me, I will call your mother _and_ Brock _and_ _Mallow_.”

He flinched back again. He’d never met three people who loved to lecture him more. “For what?!”

“Ash!”

“Fine!” he cried, and stormed over to the benches. He dropped down on them with a huff, folding his arms over his chest as she came over to join him. “I swear you’ve gotten crazier.”

“And you’ve only gotten more stubborn!” she shot back, slamming the first aid kit down on the bench beside him. “You never give Brock half the trouble you give me.”

“Wonder why that is,” he grumbled, but quietened down at her next glare, watching in silence as she opened the kit and took out a bunch of antiseptic wipes. She was such a worry wart. Even if he _was_ scratched under the dirt, she knew as well as he did that it would just clear itself up in a couple of hours.

Annoyingly, it did sting a little as she wiped down his shins, but only enough for him to whine about it, kicking off another round of bickering that lasted until she’d finished up and put everything away again. As he’d expected, without the dirt, the whole mess was barely anything but a few scratches that would clear up before he got back to Vermillion.

So she just sat down beside him, and they watched Poliwag and Pikachu trying to coax Politoed out of its sadness with gentle words and playful splashing. Misty sighed softly.

“I’m glad they calmed down,” she said. “They looked really scary when you first showed up.”

He nodded. “It’s not their fault. Team Rocket are using these things called Shadow Balls.”

“Shadow Balls?”

“Uh huh. D’you you remember when we met Sammy?”

Misty winced, hunching over her knees as she tried to remember. He didn’t really blame her – they’d met a lot of people while they were travelling, and there were probably a few of them with a name similar to ‘Sam’. But eventually she frowned and looked at him sideways. “You don’t mean when we met Celebi, right?”

He glanced at her silently, and she grunted, rolling her eyes away, but didn’t comment. She had the same habits he did, after all. Besides, she quickly seemed to realise what he was actually talking about and whipped back to look at him again.

“Like that guy used? That’s what made Poliwag and Politoed so angry?”

“Uh huh,” he said, turning back to the pokemon. “They’re all twisted up and angry inside… you gotta remind them of things that make them happy – the stuff they cared about. That’s the only way to calm ’em down.”

“How are we supposed to do that?” she asked. “Team Rocket aren’t going to fight us using our own pokemon. We won’t know anything about them!”

He lowered his eyes to his knees, once again wondering why he’d been able to see those flashes of the pokemon’s lives. It might have been aura, but it wasn’t like he knew how to use those powers even if he wanted to. And it wasn’t like he got them with every pokemon he touched – it was something about these ones in particular. Except it wasn’t, because he knew it had happened before. Just not… not quite the same. It had never hurt like this before.

“Ash?” she prompted, leaning over to try and catch his gaze. “How’d you calm those pokemon down? Do you know them, or something?”

“Uh-uh.” He shrugged. “I dunno how it works yet. Professor Cerise is try’na figure it out.”

She pulled back slightly, paused for a moment, then turned to face forward again. Neither of them spoke for a minute.

“I guess I’m even more grateful for your help then,” she said quietly. “I’d never want any of my pokemon to go through that.”

He nodded silently. He didn’t have to tell her how scary it was.

“I’ll take really great care of Kingler,” she promised. “And take it back to Pallet as soon as everything’s sorted out.”

“Thanks, Mist.”

She nodded, and they both sat in silence, leaving a whole bunch of things unsaid. Just like always. That was pretty much how they’d always worked. Talking just led to arguments, half the time.

Somehow, Ash still didn’t think Professor Kukui would like it.

* * *

“Hey Ash! Welcome back!”

He smiled and hurried into the study hall, dodging past Scorbunny’s shadowboxing to look over Goh’s shoulder at his screen. “How’s the report going?”

He couldn’t tell – it just looked like a wall of text and numbers, but Goh looked pretty self-satisfied as he pushed away from the keyboard.

“I’m almost done! I just need to fix up a few things that Ren asked about,” he said. “How was Pallet Town? Is your friend okay?”

“Yeah, no problem,” he said. He felt Pikachu shift slightly, but it didn’t look at him and so he didn’t even think about explaining the whole Team Rocket thing. He’d talk to Professor Cerise about it. Goh didn’t need to worry. “You should totally come with us next time, though. My mom really wants to make you dinner one day.”

Goh blushed, looking sideways at his report. “M-maybe. I’ll look forward to it.”

He smiled and straightened up to give him a little bit more space. “You know, it’s really not that big of a deal. You’ve already met my mom. What happened to that cool guy ‘leave it to me!’ attitude you showed her before, huh?”

“Aw, knock it off,” he said, shifting back to the screen. “You know it’d be different if I went to your house.”

“How come? What, scared you can’t pretend to be responsible for that long?” he teased, and Goh bristled like a litten.

“I’m more responsible than you! It’s just different, okay? Wouldn’t you feel awkward coming to my house all of a sudden?”

“Why would I?” he asked. “You lived with your parents before, right? If they’re anything like you, I bet they’re super awesome! I can’t wait to meet them!”

“Come on…” he mumbled, blushing bright red, and Ash snickered. He didn’t do it a lot anymore, but it could be kind of fun riling people up like this. Especially when they weren’t making a lot of sense to begin with.

“You really are an interesting guy, Goh,” he said, and then turned to head out for the research floor. “I’m gonna check in with Professor Cerise and the others. I’ll see you later, okay?”

“Yeah, sure,” he said, still blushing hotly. As Ash turned around the open door, he heard Goh start muttering to himself, “Callin’ me interesting… just ’cause I don’t… weirdo.”

Realising he might have gone too far, Ash winced, but decided not to circle back. Goh would probably just be more embarrassed to know he’d been heard. So he just slipped through the door with a mental note to make it up to him later.

“I’m back!” he announced as he opened the door to the research pit. “Thanks for letting me take the morning off, Professor.”

“Not a problem,” Professor Cerise said, turning away from the holoscreen. “I would have done it anyway, but it doesn’t hurt our Institute’s reputation to be seen helping out gym leaders.”

Ash paused, not really sure how to take that, but eventually huffed out a laugh. “If you say so.”

“It is pretty cool that gym leaders come to you for help, though,” Ren said, wheeling his chair out from behind the partition so he could see Ash. “The way you act, no one would ever realise what a big shot you are! It’s pretty slick!”

Chrysa audibly sighed, but she didn’t appear beside her work partner, so Ash just shrugged at Ren. “Me and Misty travelled together for ages. It’s no big deal.”

“That’s what makes it cool!”

He exchanged confused glances with Pikachu, who shrugged back, but they were saved having to answer by Professor Cerise stepping down to walk across the pit.

“So? How did it go?” he asked. “Did you have any trouble, or hear anything from Gym Leader Misty about what was going on?”

“Uh… kinda,” he confessed. “I ran into some Team Rocket jerks on my way to her gym. Two of them. It was… pretty weird.”

“Weird, huh?” He frowned and gestured past Ash, toward the door he’d just come through. “Let’s go into my office and write it all down. Maybe I can find some consistencies to help it make sense.”

“That’d be cool,” he said gratefully. Once they were out in the hallway and the door had definitely closed, he looked up again with a smile. “Thanks for helping me with this, Professor. I know it probably all sounds pretty crazy.”

“A lot of science does, until you study it!” he said cheerfully, leading the way down the hall. “I enjoy mysteries, and trying to explain the unexplainable. I find there’s nothing more satisfying than uncovering the truth to a complex situation, don’t you?”

“I dunno,” he said, tilting his head as best he could without disrupting Pikachu’s balance. “It’s super cool to understand how things work, but sometimes I kinda like it when things are just a mystery.”

“I know that feeling,” he said, but still raised a curious eyebrow. “Do you have something specific in mind?”

He hummed, moving his head the other way as he considered. “I mean, there are loads of things I don’t really think about too much. Like how automatic doors work. How do they know I’m there?”

Professor Cerise chuckled, and Ash suspected he probably knew the answer but didn’t see any point in explaining. Which was just as well, because he didn’t really care, either. He continued anyway, “And there are things about people that I don’t think we need to make sense of. We can try to change their minds, but I don’t think I need to know everything about a person to be their friend. Like Goh, and why he’s so set on Mew! I don’t get it – Mew are cool, but I don’t think I would ever want to train one. They’re too…” He swept his hand back and forth through the air, trying to mimic Mew’s graceful but weirdly erratic way of flying. It kind of encapsulated his opinion of Mew as a species. Beautiful, powerful, amazing… but super weird and unpredictable. “But Mew is Goh’s goal, and even if I don’t get it, it’s awesome to have a super hard goal to work toward! So I’m gonna support him. I don’t need to understand why he wants Mew, or why he wants to catch every pokemon there is! I just need to know it’s important to him. That’s enough, right?”

When he looked up again, it was to see Professor Cerise giving him a bit of a strange stare, his eyebrows up and mouth slightly open. But when he noticed Ash looking back at him he coughed and relaxed into a smile. “I definitely think there are some things that are more interesting when you don’t understand them. It’s something I struggle with, to be honest.”

“Yeah?” he asked. He’d never heard an adult admitting something like that. “What d’you mean?”

“Well… take pokemon, for example,” he said, and lifted a hand to scratch under Pikachu’s jaw. It cooed, leaning into it, and Professor Cerise grinned at a tiny spark of static. “I love exploring the world of pokemon. I want to know everything about them! But I know part of that is because the little boy in me still thinks of them as magical creatures, capable of great miracles.”

“Miracles, huh?” Ash repeated, rolling his eyes away as he tried to figure out what Professor Cerise might be talking about. He’d seen pokemon do some really incredible things, but they were all just special abilities when you got down to it. Maybe that was the point.

“I remember how excited I was to start researching pokemon,” Professor Cerise continued. “But I also remember the incredible disappointment I felt when I ‘discovered’ that electric types can generate electricity due to their energy sacks. Even though it was different to a human, it was still biological, not magical. I go through the same cycle every time I find out something new: excitement to learn, disappointment to know.”

Ash frowned, trying to follow the logic. “But… then why keep researching?” he asked. “I mean, if knowing stuff makes you sad, then why try and figure anything out? Why not just let it be magic?”

“Because I want to know,” he said with a shrug. “It’s like an addiction. I want to know so much, Ash. I never want to stop learning. Even if I don’t like what I learn, I need to keep going. I couldn’t stop even if I tried.”

“An addiction…” Ash narrowed his eyes, trying to match the word to the description. As far as he knew, addiction was something that happened with drugs or alcohol or sugar. He couldn’t really understand it in the context Professor Cerise was using.

But when he thought about it… something you couldn’t stop doing… even if you wanted to. Even if it made you unhappy… Something you just had to stick with because you couldn’t _not_ do it…

He didn’t know why, but the idea felt familiar.

“Sounds kinda hard to deal with,” he said, and Professor Cerise shrugged.

“We all have our troubles.” They’d reached his office, and he indicated one of the chairs in front of his desk. “But in the meantime, why don't you take a seat, and we’ll try exploring yours a little more.”


	9. (Ignoring) Suspicions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those not playing along at home, this chapter takes place after episode 10 of Journeys, in which Goh catches a love-struck dewgong through sheer stubbornness, Ash teaches a dragonair to fly by... throwing himself on an electroweb... Jessie and James use a wailord that knows Splash, and Professor Cerise believes the status quo should remain god. None of this is important, except that it helps Ash catch a very passionate dragonite.

Chrysa did like her job, and she had quickly come to appreciate her teammates for their quirky personalities and enthusiasm. She admired Professor Cerise, too – even before she heard about the job, she knew of his vast, wide-ranging knowledge and interest in even the most obscure myths. As she’d said in her cover letter, she relished the opportunity to work with him and help uncover the deepest mysteries of pokemon.

But today had been…

She stared into the cup as she poured hot water into it, trying to let the swirling heat take away some of her discomfort. It wasn’t her place to question. It was probably the right thing to do. She knew she was young, and still had a lot to learn. In time, she would no doubt realise this was the best course of action.

“Good afternoon, Chrysa.”

She looked up with a jolt, then smiled and inclined her head, shifting out of the way so the professor could reach the hot water. “Sir.”

He glanced at her as he refilled his coffee, one of his strange smiles playing over his lips. “I hope you’re not disappointed about my decision this morning.”

“Oh… well,” She winced, ducking her head. “I wouldn’t say that.”

He raised his eyebrows in a silent prompt she didn’t take. It wasn’t her place to question her boss’s decisions, and he’d given his reasons. She had to accept them.

“Well, I should get back to –”

“Hold on,” he said, and she settled back in place with what she hoped was a brave face. She would listen to his reasons again, and accept them, and then go back to work.

Professor Cerise finished fussing with his coffee before putting it down on the counter and turning to face her. He was still wearing that mysterious smile. “Let me guess. You think we should put together an article on Dragonite Island. It would change a great deal of the scientific community’s understanding of dragonite and certainly establish the Institute as a premier investigatory institution. It’s poor business sense to ignore it. Am I understanding things correctly?”

“That’s… all true, sir,” she said, “but none of that is my concern.”

“You’re allowed to have opinions, Chrysa,” he reminded her. “I would be a poor team leader if I wasn’t open to hearing them. You’re a valuable member of this institute – I don’t want you to feel like you can’t disagree with me.”

“No, sir. Thank you, sir,” she said. “But to rephrase: none of that is what’s concerning me.”

“Really?” He picked up his coffee again, leaning his hip against the counter as he settled into the discussion. She tried not to feel apprehensive, bracing herself by resetting her shoulders, and the professor raised his eyebrows again. “So what is?”

She hesitated, then took a deep breath and gripped her tea a little harder before stating, “I understand your decision to not release the information about Dragonite Island. It would be a risk to an already rare species of pokemon, and it would be irresponsible of us to spread information about them without care.”

Professor Cerise patiently sipped his coffee, and then asked, “Your concern is conservationism?”

“I was actually assuming that was _your_ concern, sir,” she said, and he shrugged vaguely, burying any response he may have had in another sip. She waited, but when he didn’t say anything she decided to continue. “ _My_ concern is more that I… I feel a little hypocritical.”

“Hypocritical?” he repeated. “How so?”

She swallowed, shifting her weight slightly. “As an institute, our mission statement is to uncover the mysteries of pokemon. We have two research fellows whose entire job description is to go out and explore to better inform our studies. And yet, now they have legitimately found something no one else has ever known, we made the decision to hide that information. What is the point of uncovering information if we’re not going to pass it on to others?”

“You don’t agree that the mystery adds to the excitement of Dragonite?” he asked with a quick grin, but she just continued gazing at him, unmoved.

“I’m not sure what excitement has to do with the matter. With respect, sir,” she added quickly, not wanting to seem presumptuous, before continuing with her explanation, “We uncovered scientific and evolutionary reasoning behind dragonite scarcity and appearance. Granted, Ash’s theory is weak at best, but I believe it could hold water. We identified the reason behind meteorological events that have baffled scientists for decades. We have come to understand behavioural patterns that have led to multiple sea accidents. Surely it’s our responsibility to pass at least _that_ knowledge on.”

He slowly nodded. “On the other hand, Goh and Ash also encountered people with poor intentions for the dragonite. Don’t you think it might be our responsibility to protect the dragonite from such people?”

“Not really, sir.” She turned her head slightly to look at him from under her eyebrows. “I understand the desire, but we are not conservationists. The decision as to how to best protect the dragonite—in my opinion—” she added with a flinch of professional caution, “is up to the League, or the Pokemon Rangers. Officer Jenny at a stretch. But _we_ are scientists. We present information, and while we can provide recommendations on any further action, it’s not truly up to us what people _do_ with that information.”

He continued nodding even as he said, “You don’t think it’s a researcher’s ethical responsibility to decide what information he releases for the good of all?”

“I think it’s a researcher’s ethical responsibility not to research something they believe to be unethical,” she said. “But once information has been revealed, even if that information is sad, or problematic, the research done to garner that information should not be for nothing. If it is so bad that no one else should study it, I believe the best thing a researcher can do is present that information in the negative light it deserves. Problematic studies can and have informed more ethical research. Sir,” she added, blushing slightly. It absolutely was not her place to be lecturing her boss like this.

But Professor Cerise just shifted, his gaze rolling upward and around the room as he worked through her miniature rant. “Apologies, Chrysa, but… are we still talking about dragonite? Or is your concern more… global?”

She opened her mouth, then stopped, considered the question, and started again. “I think I am raising a red flag, more than anything. While Dragonite Island is fairly limited in scope and consequence, I find myself asking what we will do if we uncover something of more significance. Goh wants to find _Mew_. Your notes imply Ash may have already encountered it. What are we going to do if they find the precursor of all pokemon? What if our research fellows _catch_ the precursor of all pokemon?”

Like her, Professor Cerise paused at the suggestion, his lips twitching between a smile and frown as he thought it through. “You think Goh could really do it?”

“I think our research fellows excel at what others might call impossible.”

He chuckled, then turned to lean back against the bench properly, settling back into one of his mysterious smiles. “I suppose then the question becomes whether you think we should stop him. Many bad things could happen if a trainer caught Mew, not least of all that the trainer in question would become a target for every poacher, criminal, and unethical member of the Pokemon Industry across the entire world. Should we stop a boy from living out his dream because of the consequences of his end goal, which he is likely to never achieve? Surely the unavoidable positives that will come from his experiences in trying to work his way up to Mew far outweigh the negative possibilities.”

She ducked her head, regretting ever allowing the conversation to start. “I’m not suggesting we stop him; I’m asking what we’ll do if he succeeds.”

“I hadn’t thought that far ahead,” he said, and she tried not to sigh.

“Neither have I. But it’s an extreme example of the issue raised today.”

“And it is an interesting point,” he said. “But I’m afraid I can’t agree with it. We’re researchers. We chase knowledge. I don’t think the pursuit of knowledge could ever be a bad thing, and I don’t think anyone should ever be stopped from investigating. Learning is an adventure.”

She nodded again, because statements like that had always made her admire Professor Cerise.

“But sometimes,” he continued, “we learn things that no human should know. Like Dragonite Island, or perhaps, one day, the realities of Mew. I don’t think we should be punished for knowing dangerous facts, but I do think it’s our responsibility not to spread them. Releasing that information could have consequences that I would rather not risk. I think that’s responsibility.”

She hesitated, because he was her boss, her mentor, and she was young and inexperienced. And ultimately it didn’t matter – she had a conflicting opinion, but she didn’t feel strongly enough about it to draw a line in the sand. She would follow his decision.

“It’s an interesting philosophical discussion, I suppose,” she said finally, hoping to bring the debate to a close.

“And I think those sorts of discussions are just as important as our research,” he said, extending his mug to clink against hers. “Even if we don’t agree, please never feel you can’t speak to me about them.”

“Yes, sir. Thank you. But I suppose we should get back to work.”

He smiled and gestured for her to lead the way back to the lab.

* * *

As they watched Dragonite fly up over the garden, observing all Goh’s pokemon with Pikachu and Scorbunny playing tour guides in its arms, Ash once again found himself marvelling at his own catch.

He almost never caught evolved pokemon. They never needed his help. And it wasn’t like he was actively battling at the moment, so he didn’t have the lure of a competition to make his journey more attractive. And Dragonite wasn’t really interested in seeing the world, so it wasn’t his travels.

Dragonite had just wanted to come with him… to be a friend. Not to get stronger, not to learn anything. It just wanted to be his partner.

That was… different.

Wonderful. But… different.

That felt like a lot of things he was experiencing this time… Everything was great, but it was all so different to what he was used to. His work as a research fellow, living at the Institute, talking to Professor Cerise about stuff, his friendship with Goh… it all made him feel kind of off-balance. He didn’t know how he was supposed to act – what would be the right thing to say or do.

Sometimes he thought it was just as well he’d promised Professor Kukui not to try and match what people needed. He wouldn’t have known how.

Speaking of people he didn’t know what to do with… he glanced sideways at Goh, raising his eyebrows. “Still not upset you didn’t catch any dragonite?”

“I mean, I would’ve like to,” he said, still watching Dragonite tumble through the air. “But maybe this is better. Professor Cerise is right: the dragons on that island are living their own lives, and they should be left alone. I’ll catch my own dratini, dragonair, and dragonite from somewhere else. I’ll catch ones that have chosen to leave that world behind.”

Again, Ash found himself a little bit surprised, and with everything else it was enough for him to blink and silently turn back to the pokemon, because at least they were usually more predictable.

No matter how much he learned about his newest friend, Ash could never figure out how Goh was going to react to stuff. When they’d first met, he seemed like the aggressive type, making announcements and telling the world how it would be. But Ash had quickly figured out that was mostly just Goh’s way of dealing with stuff. Then, when he’d seen Goh interacting with pokemon, Ash had assumed he was the type of trainer that wouldn’t be interested in getting to know his team, or care about their thoughts and feelings. But with each day, Goh was learning more about his pokemon, and that seemed to be making him more aware of what they wanted. What they chose. He still wanted to catch every pokemon there was, truly _complete_ the pokedex, and sometimes that made him do things Ash didn’t really agree with, but then he’d come out with statements like that – like he really _got_ how pokemon worked… Only to turn around and do something really boneheaded a few hours later.

Like yesterday. He’d been so set on catching Dewgong. And sure, Dewgong had wanted to be caught, which was why it had hung around as Goh threw dozens and dozens of pokeballs at its head. But it had clearly wanted a battle. Or at least something to prove itself before it was caught. Ash was pretty sure it gave up in the end just because it was bored. Goh hadn’t noticed or cared – he’d just been grimly satisfied with the catch.

And yet Goh had refused Ash’s offer of pokeballs to catch anything on the island. _And_ he’d been the one to point out Dragonite wanted to come with Ash.

It didn’t… it didn’t feel like it matched, somehow.

Like the Institute, with all its new technology, and the old, tired feeling in the building. Like Ash’s job, exploring the world in his normal way, all to help people who almost never left their computer desks. Like being on a new adventure, meeting new friends, only to have his old friends calling him at least once a week to check in and see how he was doing.

Nothing matched up. Nothing felt even.

Maybe he was just trying to move too fast. He’d only been at the Institute for a couple of weeks now – only known Goh for a couple of weeks. If he’d been in a new region, he would’ve still been getting used to the cultural differences, figuring out who his rivals were, adjusting his battle style to match the regional focus… It was probably way too much to expect he’d get everything right away.

Later, when he was getting himself a drink before bed, he wondered if maybe he was pushing himself too much because of all the stuff with Team Rocket and the gyms. Normally he didn’t have to deal with stuff like that until he’d been on his new adventure for a couple of months. Maybe being so on edge was tricking him into thinking he should be more settled into his newest normal.

“Pi… Pikapi?”

He flinched, suddenly realising he was staring blindly out the bathroom window and probably had been for a while. Pikachu hadn’t originally come in with him, since he’d intended to come right back to the dorm, but it was now standing in the doorway and watching him with worried eyes. He smiled as warmly as he could. “Yeah, sorry, buddy. I’m coming now.”

“Pi?” It dropped down onto all fours and walked over to stand at his feet, reaching out to touch his ankle. “Pikapika?”

“Yeah, just fine. Just thinking,” he promised, and looked back out the window. “Things’ve been kinda different lately. None of it’s weird or anything, so it’s weird that I find it weird, you know?”

“Pika,” it said bluntly, and tilted its head with a frown, asking if he was worried about Team Rocket or something else. He grimaced.

“I dunno. Maybe I’m just not cut out for this whole research fellow thing. It’s a lot of thinking!” He drained the last of his water and went to put it down on the sink, but a flash of movement through the window caught his eye. He paused, glancing back in case it had been a pokemon, but there didn’t seem to be anything out there. Just the usual dark shadows of the garden.

Until one of them darted across an open patch of grass.

“What the –” Ash put down his glass and stepped up closer to the window, because he definitely hadn’t imagined that. It was too big to be any of the wild pokemon that he knew lived around the Institute, and it hadn’t moved like Goh’s scyther, either. It had almost looked like a… No…

What would a human be doing running around the Cerise Institute gardens at nine o’clock at night?

“Pika?” Pikachu asked, and he hesitated one last second before making up his mind.

“I want to check something out. C’mon, buddy.”

They hurried out of the bathroom and down the landing, Ash already half-convinced that his mind was still playing tricks on him. He was in a weird mood; he was probably just seeing things. And even if he wasn’t, it was probably just a lanky wild pokemon. Like a… lucario or blaziken or… something.

A wild blaziken.

In Kanto.

Wandering around a gated garden at night.

Yeah…

He shook his head hard. It was possible! He was definitely overreacting. Definitely.

He flicked on the garden lights as he rushed out the back door, skidding slightly on the stones of the porch. As he’d expected, there was nothing out there, and he gazed out and down the steps toward Cerise Park, listening to the gentle breeze.

“There’s no one here,” he mumbled, letting the door swing shut behind him.

By his feet, Pikachu bounded a few steps forward and rose up onto its hind legs to look around. It sniffed the air for a moment, then hopped a little further out, tail and ears rising to attention.

“Pikachu?” Ash prompted, and it glanced back before gesturing him over. “Somethin’ up?”

“Pi…ka…” it said slowly, turning back to the garden. Static hummed as it sent out a few electro-magnetic pulses. “Pika…chu?”

Before they could get any further, the sound of a window opening made Ash turn and look up, just in time to see Goh poke his head out. “Ash? What’re you doing?”

“I thought I saw something out the window,” he explained. “It’s probably nothing, but I’m just checking it out.”

“Saw something?” Goh pulled back a little, seeming to hesitate before coming back. “You want us come to down and help look?”

“Nah, we’re fine!” he said, waving him down. “Like I said: probably nothing. G’wan to bed, we’ll be back up in a minute.”

“If you’re sure…” he said slowly, but although he leaned back, he didn’t close the window or even disappear. He just shifted, like he was settling in to watch.

Which was probably another sign that Ash should just forget it and go to bed. He was being stupid – worrying his friend over what had probably just been a random shadow…

But… just in case…

“C’mon,” he said, moving past Pikachu to start trotting down the steps. “Let’s just make sure the Park door’s still locked and head back up.”

With a soft murmur of agreement, Pikachu leapt up, catching his hip before he was out of reach so it could clamber up onto his shoulder. They absently checked opposite directions as he walked out onto the grass, Ash listening and Pikachu sending out a soft stream of static.

“It sure… seems quiet, right?” he asked. He couldn’t see anything. Couldn’t hear anything.

Pikachu confirmed it couldn’t sense anything specific, and met Ash’s glance when he looked around. It was the same problem he was feeling: nothing ‘specific’ didn’t mean nothing ‘at all’. _Something_ felt weird.

“Is it a pokemon?” he asked. “Can you smell somethin’, Pikachu?”

It nodded, but then stopped and made a face. Of course it could smell pokemon. There were loads of pokemon at the Cerise Institute – Goh’s, Ren’s, the wild pokemon that would stop by unnoticed… but that wasn’t what it was noticing. It could smell something else. Something weird.

“Maybe a ghost?” he suggested. “Ghost pokemon are weird, right… or a human ghost?”

“Pi…ka,” it said, and then shook its head a little more firmly. There might have been some ghost types around, but not right this second. “Pika. Pi pikachu.”

“Okay. Let’s just…” He took a breath and clapped his hands together, forcing himself to rally. Things being weird did not mean things being wrong. He was being dumb. “Let’s just check Cerise Park, then we can check the locks on the Institute and go back to bed. If we don’t get to sleep soon, we’re gonna be useless tomorrow.”

Pikachu gave him a doubtful look. “Pikapika?”

“Look, it’d be one thing if we’d actually seen something. But there’s nothing out here! Just a bunch of shadows and static,” he said, trying to sound a lot more confident than he actually felt. He pushed himself into a faster, more bouncing step. “That could be anything! Heck, it’s probably just Mismagius playin’ tricks.”

Pikachu muttered something about whether Ash was convincing himself, and he chuckled but didn’t say anything, just continued on to touch the handle of the greenhouse.

Sure enough, it was still locked from when he and Goh had left them earlier that evening. He leaned in close, making sure everything seemed calm and normal, before letting out a soft sigh of relief and turning away again. “See? Everything’s fine. No problem at all.”

“Pika…” it said slowly, and clambered up a little higher on his shoulder, paws curling into his hair as it craned up to its full height, the better to look around. Ash tried not to notice as he started trotting back up to the porch.

Goh was still waiting when he came back into sight. “Anything?”

“No – it was probably just my imagination,” Ash called, grinning apologetically, but Goh didn’t smile back.

“You sure?”

“Yeah. Sorry for worryin’ you,” he said. “I’m just gonna check the locks and be right up.”

Goh continued frowning, but there wasn’t much Ash could do about that. He slipped back into the kitchen and firmly locked the door behind himself before switching off the lights. He did a quick circuit of the lower floor, confirming the lab alarm was set and the main entrance was still locked up properly.

The only thing that seemed even slightly out of place was in Professor Cerise’s office, where the window was shut but not locked. He glanced around the room as he turned the latch to lock it, his eyes lingering on the professor’s notebook and computer, its blinking blue light confirming it was still on and ready for use.

He knew research could be valuable. Tracey had to be on the lookout for attacks every time he ferried packages between Oak Ranch and another research site. And the professor had kind of said today that their Dragonite Island notes were important.

Pikachu crawled down his arm to sniff the windows, and then looked back at him, obviously waiting for an opinion.

Everything was still there. It was okay.

“Maybe tomorrow…” Ash hesitated, then shook his head and bounced his forearm for Pikachu to move back up onto his shoulder. “Come on. Let’s go to bed, or we’ll be all funky tomorrow morning.”

Pikachu mumbled its agreement, but when they got up to the dorm Goh and Scorbunny were sitting on their bed and waiting. Goh didn’t buy his reassurances so easy.

“I dunno, Ash. You’ve run into Team Rocket like four times in the last two weeks,” he pointed out. “What if they start targeting Cerise Institute?”

“Team Rocket?” he repeated blankly, then laughed. “No way! They’re going after gyms, not research!”

“But what about yesterday? They might be mad about what happened on Dragonite Island.”

“Jessie, James, and Meowth?” he asked. “I don’t think so. If they’ve even made it back to shore by now, they’re probably already planning their next scheme. No, the only Team Rocket people we need to worry about are the guys in black, and I don’t think they’re even gonna know about Cerise Park. Besides,” he added, swinging one fist up triumphantly, “now, we’ve got Dragonite to protect everyone! Everyone will be perfectly safe as long as it’s around!”

That decided, he walked over to drop down onto his bed. Pikachu had already jumped over, and was waiting a little impatiently for him to lie down, so he reached back to smooth its fur down over its ears. “Seriously, I was probably just seein’ things because I’ve been thinking too much. What I really need is a good hard training session. Tomorrow, if we don’t have any big work to do, I’m gonna train with Pikachu, Mr Mine, and Dragonite. That’ll calm me down, no problem.”

But while he’d expected Goh to just roll his eyes and call it a night, only a few seconds passed before Goh leaned over to look at him, eyes wide and a jaw set a little too tight as he asked, “L-look, Ash… Is there – I mean… if something’s wrong… I mean, i-if you wanted to talk, I…”

Ash blinked up at him, then smiled warmly. It wasn’t expected, but this was the kind of surprise he didn’t mind catching him off guard. “Thanks, Goh. But no, it’s okay. It’s just been all this research! It’s real new to me, you know? I’m really not used to thinking so much about stuff!”

He hesitated again, but eventually relaxed into a smile. “You do seem a lot more of an action sort of guy…”

“Sure am! But a good hard training session should calm me down no problem!”

He nodded, his relief at Ash's reaction almost tangible. “Maybe you can show me how you train a pokemon for battle! I know some of the theory, but it’d be really good to get a bit more practical experience.”

“That sounds great! Let’s do it!”

“Yeah!” He pulled back out of sight, sounding much happier. “Tomorrow then. But for now, let’s get some rest. Good night, Ash!”

“Night,” he said, and reached over to turn off the light. As he pulled his feet up onto the bed, Pikachu scurried under the sheets to push them down, and waited for Ash to tug them back up so it could curl up under them by his waist. He smiled, but as he folded his hands behind his head and gazed up through the darkness at the mattress above, it quickly faded.

He _was_ too stressed out. Not expecting things, worrying about Team Rocket, the weird feeling of the Cerise Institute, and all the new things he was doing at once… he was freaking himself out. He just needed to find his rhythm.

And then everything would be okay.

He just wished he could shake the feeling that it wouldn’t.

* * *

“You t’ink Jess’ll be okay on her own?”

“Of course. She’s not the one sneaking into restricted areas. I’m more worried about _us_.”

Meowth whined a little, but couldn’t really argue the point aside from pointing out that there was a reason they didn’t normally let Jessie leave their sides in headquarters. Her hot head never fared well against the arrogant or mocking tones they tended to encounter in other Team Rocket members.

But this time, the Twerp had blasted them off without also blasting off the pokemon they’d been loaned. They didn’t even know what had happened to Wailord, though it was probably a safe bet that the Twerp had convinced it to turn its back on Team Rocket and go free. Which was really nice of him and all, except that it meant they were down one pokemon for the boss’s army. Which meant they had to explain to the administration department how they had lost it.

Jessie was taking care of that, very loudly complaining to everyone and anyone who would listen (probably eventually including the actual administrator she was supposed to be reporting in to) that giving them a one-move water-type was tantamount to sabotage, given that _everyone_ knew they usually had to deal with a kid with an overpowered electric type. Wobuffet was encouraging her. No one would be happy about any of that.

Hopefully it would be enough to keep everyone distracted long enough for James to hack through the records computer and into Matori’s files.

“Alrighty-ho, let’s see what we can see,” James muttered as folders spilled over the screen, revealing lists upon lists of files. He ignored them all, pulling up a command box and rapidly typing codes Meowth couldn’t hope to understand. He leaned back out behind the file cases they were hidden behind to keep an eye out.

“Make it snappy, Jim, I don’t like how quiet it is,” he said lowly.

“I’m going as fast as I can. Though I’m not sure how successful we’re going to be,” he pointed out. “If Matori really is going behind Giovanni’s back, then I don’t think she would keep notes about it on Rocket files.”

Meowth glanced back over his shoulder. “What’re we gonna do if she don’t?”

“Hopefully come up with something else,” he said. “I don’t want to wait until she strikes. No doubt we’ll hear about it if she actually does try to touch the twerp. Or at the very least, we’ll see the explosion when Pikachu reacts.”

“Here’s hopin’ we’re wrong about it all then,” he said grimly. They’d seen Pikachu when it was feeling vindictive – he did not want to see it on a revenge rampage. “Speakin’ of, though – you see the twerp workin’ with that dragonite today? What’s bettin’ that it’s joinin’ the roster?”

“A fully evolved dragonite?” James scoffed. “Not likely.”

“I dunno… it seemed pretty attached,” he said, and James glanced back before refocussing on the files.

“Well, I suppose you would know better than I. But it just adds credence to our opinion that we will need more powerful pokemon this time,” he said. “I, for one, have no interest in pitting under-levelled pokemon like that wailord against a dragonite Ash Ketchum has actually _trained_.”

“No kiddin’. Fury Swipes ain’t exactly gonna knock somethin’ like that outta the air,” he agreed, and shuddered. “Hopefully the twerp’ll pick up a baby too. Somethin’ weak and obnoxious to balance it out.”

“I think I’d rather the dragonite. Remember Noibat?”

“I try not to. That was more than enough dragon for my blood,” Meowth groaned, and they fell silent, focussed on their separate tasks. After another minute, the clicking of the keys fell silent, and Meowth glanced back over his shoulder to find James frowning at the screen. “Found somethin’?”

“Not related to our investigation.”

“So why’s it got ya?”

“Because it is _Mahjong’s_ assignment,” he said. “It seems she’s been assigned to something called ‘Looming Shadows’. Along with three daunting names and a rather sizable budget.”

Meowth blinked, turning slightly to look at him properly. “It’s not a Matori gig?”

“Seems not. I can’t get into the mission briefing, but I can see landing orders for three regions, and a research laboratory in Southern Kanto.”

“Down south? What’s out there worth anyone’s time?” he asked, but James shook his head.

“I’m more confused about these regions. Hoenn, Johto, and Kanto. That’s quite a centralised focus.”

He hesitated, glancing back down the hall before hurrying over to clamber up onto James’ shoulder where he could see. “T'ink you can copy the files? Maybe look into it with more time?”

“I’m not sure. But it’s worth a shot,” he said, and pulled a small device out of his pocket to plug into the console. While they waited for the program to run, James scrolled through the encrypted file, searching for obvious information, and paused on a list of addresses. He tapped one. “I recognise this one. My family used to run rapidash here, before the owner was arrested on trafficking charges.”

“Trafficking charges? He one of ours?” he asked, but James shook his head again.

“No, which is probably why he got caught. Team Rocket doesn’t tolerate competition.”

Which was fair enough, so Meowth went back to the list. It wasn’t that long, but he didn’t recognise any commonalities. “So what’re the daunting names?”

“Arlo, Cliff, and Sierra,” he said. “All very high ranks, with very different specialties. Cliff trains half the raw recruits in the poaching squad.”

“And ain’t Arlo that science guy they picked up recently?” Meowth asked. “Da pokeball expert?”

“So they say…” The program finished running and James quickly removed his device to begin shutting everything down.

Meowth frowned warily. “Whaddaya think it’s all about?”

“Something with three lead agents, an infiltration expert, a research laboratory and enough grunts to cover three regions,” James summarised as he stood up. “I’m not surprised they’re asking about the twerp, given what happened in Unova. It sounds like exactly the sort of trouble the boss wouldn’t want him involved in.”

“So… you sayin’ we should butt out?”

“Or do our best to get in on the ground floor,” he said. “Let’s see what Jessie has to say about it all.”

“Yeah, no one can sense a good score like Jess. She’ll know what to do,” Meowth agreed, and they exchanged nods before hurrying out of the room.

Whatever the scheme was, there was clearly work to be done.


	10. (Making) Moves

“I wouldn’t be too concerned about shadows,” Cerise said, sinking down into his chair with as reassuring a smile as he could manage. “There are a lot of possible explanations, and it doesn’t seem like anything’s gone missing. It was good of you to check, but I’m sure it’s fine.”

“Yeah, that’s what I thought,” Ash said, absently jerking his elbow to give Pikachu a better platform as it jumped down into one of the visitor’s chairs. “Only your window was open, so I figured I should mention it, you know?”

Cerise glanced off to the side, thinking of the real estate agent that had warned him about ghostly happenings. He’d had a few minor incidents, but nothing like the exciting levitations and ghost lights he’d been hoping for. Even the repeatedly slamming door out-played a window he’d forgotten to lock. “Loose latches aren’t much to get excited about. In an old house like this, I’m actually surprised we don’t get a lot more strange behaviour. No leaking pipes, creaking floorboards… sometimes I almost feel like we’ve been cheated out of an adventure!”

“Pika?” Pikachu chirped up, tilting its head, while Ash laughed, setting both hands on his hips.

“Adventure, huh? I guess I’ll let you know if I find any water damage, and we can go on the great search for the rusted pipes!” he teased. “Though I dunno how interested Goh’ll be. Probably not a lot of pokemon to catch in the bathroom!”

“Pokemon are mysterious creatures that can be found all over the world!” he said playfully, and Ash chuckled again before turning to leave.

“Well, I guess if you’re not worried, then I should get out to the garden. Goh and I were gonna do some training, unless you had a job for us.”

“No job,” he said, batting at his mouse to wake up his computer. “But if you have a while to spare, I was hoping to bounce a few ideas off you.”

“Ideas?” he repeated, though he didn’t immediately come back to the desk.

“I’ve been doing a little research into your abilities. I have a few theories and I’d like to see what you think.”

Ash’s smile faded slightly. “Abilities? I don’t…”

It boggled Cerise’s mind how Ash could be so open about hearing Lugia speak and what he’d done with the pokemon he rescued from Team Rocket, but then claim it was all perfectly normal – like anyone could do the things he had. He gestured for Ash to sit down. “You mentioned you have aura. Trained or not, that is an ability.”

“O-oh… yeah, I guess,” he said, and slowly moved back to drop into the chair. “What’d you wanna know?”

Cerise tried to keep his amusement internal as he turned back to his computer. It seemed a little slow to start, but opened his notes app without complaint. He scrolled through his files until he found the one he had been using to collate the little bits of insight he and his assistants had made into Ash’s mysteries.

There wasn’t a great deal of specifics. For all the rumours, Cerise had struggled to find any concrete information about Ash beyond official statistics and PokeScience gossip. But the longer he knew Ash, the more Cerise understood why there wasn’t much more.

No matter what he was talking about, Ash was always outcomes-focussed. He rarely—if ever—went into detail about how he did something or why. They had to rely on Goh to give them procedures and analysis. So even if Ash had stuck around long enough to talk to a reporter, he probably hadn’t given them enough detail to actually formulate a story worth telling.

So it made sense, but it was still incredibly frustrating. Cerise had been forced to widen his search to stories about unnamed pokemon trainers, cross-referencing their locations against Ash’s journey to try and track him down. Whittling them down even by that parameter was taking more time than he really had to spare on a hobby, and he would have to take a second pass at it afterward, using notes about pokemon or physical descriptions. It was almost a waste of time.

Instead, he just had their own notations about Ash, his ability to bond and communicate with pokemon, and the strange things he occasionally mentioned out of nowhere. Like his abilities with aura, for example.

“Alright,” he said, once the file finally loaded up and he could page down to the right section. “Let’s talk about aura in humans. According to legend, Aura Adepts were usually great warriors, like knights that could use pokemon moves instead of swords. What do you think of that?”

Ash’s cheek rose slightly in immediate reaction, before he looked over and down at Pikachu, as if checking for what it thought. But Pikachu just blinked back, ears twitching, and eventually Ash grimaced and came back to Cerise. “By ‘Aura Adepts’. D’you mean like an Aura Guardian?”

“That’s what they’re called in some of the stories, sure,” he said, and Ash nodded slowly.

“They can usually use Aura Sphere, right? I guess that’s a pokemon move,” he said, but then winced, lifting one hand to scratch at his cheek. “But I mean… yeah, a pokemon can use it, but what makes something a _pokemon_ move, and not just a… y’know, an attack? Like a punch, or a lick? It’d sure gross me out if a human just came up and licked me! But if a pokemon does it, it’s a pokemon move, even if it doesn’t paralyse you. So I guess…” He paused, then raised his finger in point instead. “Yeah! Like psychic people, who can make stuff float off the ground! That’s like Psychic Power, right? Which is a pokemon move. It’s kinda like that, I guess.”

Cerise knew he should cut off the tangent, because Ash was clearly not going to actually answer his question, but he found himself a little too fascinated. Ash had such an interesting way of thinking about the world sometimes.

“I know some pokemon who learned their moves from humans. I have this Primape that I left with a dojo, so it could learn from the martial artists there. But… huh. If a pokemon learns a move from a human, is it still a pokemon move? Maybe it’s a human move that a pokemon just uses,” Ash continued thoughtfully, shifting to hold his chin. “Whoa, I should talk to Professor Kukui about that. ’Cause like, humans can do a bunch of different things when they fight each other, but pokemon can only ever have four moves at a time. Maybe it’s something about battling, rather than fighting. Like, if humans battled, like how pokemon do, maybe we wouldn’t be able to do as much. Like, maybe psychic people wouldn’t be able to bite. And maybe martial artists would only have like four kicks and punches, like really specific ones, and they wouldn’t be able to just go pow! You know? I wonder what stops it…”

Absolutely fascinating.

How could a battle trainer, who sometimes showcased the worst stereotypes of his profession—picking a fight with anything that breathed, paying no attention to anything outside his immediate sphere of influence, never so much as opening a book—be so curious about the world on such a deep level?

Humans were incredible creatures, Cerise mused. Young ones especially.

But working out the young adult mind was not his current goal, so he smiled and tried to get Ash back on track.

“Back on topic,” he reminded him gently, “as an Aura Adept, have _you_ ever used any pokemon moves?”

Ash blinked at him like the question had come out of nowhere. “Me? Moves like what?”

Baby steps were apparently key. “Like, for example, Aura Sphere?”

“Oh. Uh… not really,” he said blankly, lifting his hands up with the heels of his palms together. “I used these gloves once, and they let me like, form this ball of aura. But it wasn’t like an Aura Sphere, because I wasn’t attacking anyone or anything. It was just like, going shhhrrew,” he said, pushing his hands forward, fingers spreading as if to simulate an expanse of energy. Then he abruptly pulled back, hands falling to his knees. “But I mean, others, then… I guess? It depends on what you’re calling a move. Like, sure, I’ve run into people, but what makes that a Tackle, you know? And just because I can spit seeds, that’s not a Bullet Seed. Right?” he added to Pikachu, who stared back at him.

“Pi…ka?”

Cerise tried very hard not to react to the exchange. This was proving a problem – keeping Ash focussed on short answers. “Let’s focus on that Aura Sphere you mentioned. You said it was more of a slow transfer of energy. Do you think that you could have potentially built it up into an attack?”

“Um… I dunno. I never really thought about it,” he said, pulling his arms up to cross over his chest. On the other chair, Cerise noticed Pikachu doing the same, both of them tilting their heads, eyes closing and brows furrowing in thought. He wondered if the mimicry was intentional. “I mean, I guess it might be worth trying, but it just seems like a waste, you know? I want to get stronger in my own way, and that’s becoming a better pokemon trainer! None of my pokemon can use Aura Sphere, so there’s no point in me tryin’ to figure out how it works, since it wouldn’t help any of them.”

Which wasn’t really the question, but potentially an answer in its own way. Cerise tapped it into his notes before trying another angle. “So you think that if you did have a pokemon that could use Aura Sphere, you might put some more effort into it?”

“Maybe, but only if they wanted to learn it. I feel like that’d just be the kind of move a pokemon would figure out on their own, so all I’d need to do is help them make it stronger,” he said, and opened his eyes as he continued, “It’d be like Pikachu’s electro-web. We didn’t mean to learn that one, but once Pikachu had it, we had to figure out how to use it. Now it’s one of our most useful moves! Right, buddy?”

Pikachu opened one eye, then bounced out of its thinking pose to pump both paws. “Pika pika!” It jumped up, twirling once before expanding both paws out to wave them excitedly. “Pika pikachu!”

“It’s been really great!” Ash said cheerfully, before turning back to Cerise. “But since Pikachu knows how to do it, I never really needed to figure out how it works. Not like Dragon Dance. That was kinda hard, since I’m not very good at dancing. I had to really think about what Dragon Dance is, and how it works, to be able to show Dragonair what it needed to do.”

Cerise hesitated, not sure he was following correctly. “So you… did learn Dragon Dance?”

“Oh, no, no way! I mean, I can’t even fly!” he pointed out. “But I figured out how it works. It’s like, you gotta get up in the air, and twist around a lot, and screw everything up into your stomach, and then you let it all out, like ra-da-da-da- _dah_ out into your whole body!” he said, as if that made any sense. “But if it was something I could do? Like spitting seeds, or with aura, I guess, then maybe I could work it out and do something. But like I said, there’s no point tryin’ to figure that stuff out now. So I don’t. And so I never really thought about it.”

“Right…” Cerise tapped it into his notes, not sure if he or Ash had gone down the wrong path on that one. “Maybe we should try that, some day. It could be an interesting experiment.”

“I mean… I guess so, but…” Ash trailed off, and Cerise glanced at him curiously. He winced. “Um… no offence, Professor, but… why d’you want to know all this stuff?”

“Hm?”

“Why’re you askin’ whether I can use pokemon moves?” he asked. “How is that gonna, y’know… help?”

He frowned, still confused. “Because it could give us insight into how aura manifests in humans. There’s very little research into human special abilities, particularly Aura Adepts. Even magic has books written about it, but Aura is mostly just relegated to fairy tales. Any information we can work out would be incredibly valuable.”

“Uh, sure, but… it’s not like Shadow Balls are done with aura, right?”

Cerise blinked, then internally blanched, abruptly remembering how the revelation had come out to begin with. He’d promised to help Ash figure out what Team Rocket were up to. The Shadow Balls. They needed a way to stop them.

Thankfully, there was actually a connection, as much as he’d forgotten it in the process. He smiled apologetically. “I suppose it does seem a bit of a stretch. But I suppose one way to look at it is that I’m trying to understand how you were able to help those pokemon. It could be connected to your aura abilities. And if my theory stands, then perhaps that means you were using a kind of pokemon move to help them.”

“A… pokemon move? You mean like when they showed me their memories?” he asked, and Cerise nodded.

“For example, it could have been Refresh, or Heal Pulse.”

Ash shifted slightly, obviously turning the thought over in his mind. “I don’t… I mean… I’m not sure it’s the same.”

“Perhaps not. But it is one theory,” he said. “And all science starts with a theory.”

“Right,” Ash said blankly, exchanging glances with Pikachu. “So… you’re saying we should find a move that kind of does what I did, and see if it works?”

Honestly, it hadn’t been what Cerise was going for, but it would be interesting, if nothing else. An experiment to see if Ash really had performed a pokemon move without meaning to. “It’s a place to start, I suppose.”

* * *

“A move that reminds pokemon of good memories, huh?” Pulling up his rotomphone, Goh tapped through the search functions of its pokedex database. “I guess that’d be some kind of status move.”

Ash sighed, folding his arms and frowning at the footpath in front of him. They were walking through town, partially to look for somewhere interesting to train but mostly just to get away from the lab. Ash hadn’t really felt like sticking around.

He knew Professor Cerise probably knew what he was talking about, but Ash was really struggling to see how his aura abilities would stop the Shadow Balls. He hadn’t done anything special with Cubone, and definitely not with Poliwag or Politoed. He’d just helped them calm down. The Shadow Balls were the problem – knotting emotions up with pain until there was nothing left. He didn’t remember Sir Aaron or Riley ever doing anything to something like that.

“I mean… it could be something like Play Nice?” Goh suggested, tapping his screen to make Rotom report.

“ _Play Nice. A non-damaging normal-type move. The user and the target become great friends, causing the target to lose its will to fight. This reduces the effectiveness of the target’s attack._ ”

“That doesn’t sound quite right, huh?” Goh went back to the list of moves. “Maybe Purify?”

“ _Purify. A non-damaging poison-type move. The user heals the target’s status condition. If the move succeeds, the user will recover from damage!_ ”

“Recover from damage?” Ash repeated, looking up as he remembered his hurt knees from when he grabbed Poliwag and Politoed. He hadn’t noticed himself healing any faster than usual… but then everyone always said he healed way too fast. Maybe he was always casting Purify on people without realising? He looked sideways to try and meet Pikachu’s gaze. “What do you think, buddy?”

“Pika?” It hunched over his shoulder, making a face. It hadn’t really followed his conversation with Professor Cerise, but it definitely didn’t think Ash had ever really used a _move_. It had been with him the whole way as he developed his training style, learning how to mimic pokemon and understand how moves worked. It knew the difference between what he did and what he was teaching his pokemon to do.

But since it had been with him the whole time, maybe they both had the same problem – maybe they were just too close to see what was going on.

“I dunno either,” he admitted. “I guess it’s possible.”

“Yeah, I guess we wouldn’t know about that if you weren’t actually hurt,” Goh agreed, going back to the list. “The thing is, there’s loads of moves that can help pokemon recover from status effects, and even more that can make them less aggressive. Baby-doll Eyes, Crafty Shield, even Amnesia. Or… some kind of reverse-Amnesia, making them forget the thing that’s making them upset, I guess?”

He winced. “I don’t think it’s that one.”

“Yeah, if anything, I’m leaning toward Purify,” he said. “So what d’you think? Is it worth trying to figure out?”

“I mean, I guess if Professor Cerise thinks so…” he said slowly, and Goh lowered his rotomphone to look at him.

“You don’t sound so sure.”

“It’s just… I dunno,” he said, unfolding one hand to flip it absently. “I guess I’m just not seein’ the point, y’know? Knowing _how_ I calmed ’em down doesn’t change how those pokemon got hurt in the first place.”

“I guess that’s true,” Goh admitted. “But if we figure out what you did, and it turns out it is a move, then we can tell Officer Jenny and she’ll be able to fix any pokemon people rescue from Team Rocket. Right?”

“Yeah,” he said, but then frowned, trying to figure out what exactly was bothering him so badly. He didn’t really care about whether he was using pokemon moves or not. He didn’t like the idea, and he had never really been interested in figuring out how he did anything different, but if he was being honest… he was just…

He was disappointed that this was all it was coming to.

“I think maybe I just thought that tellin’ Professor Cerise about all this would help us find a way to stop it from happening,” he explained. “Like maybe Professor Cerise could tell us where to go to destroy all the Shadow Balls, or put a stop to whoever’s making ’em.”

Goh blinked. “How would Professor Cerise know something like that?”

“Yeah, I know. I guess it isn’t really fair of me.”

It wasn’t, and he knew he wasn’t being fair. Half the time, Professor Cerise didn’t even know where they needed to go to do his field research, so how the heck was he supposed to know where Ash could go to solve something like this?

It was weird how quickly he’d gotten used to adults being more useful.

A few years ago, Ash would never have even thought to tell anyone about it. There wouldn’t have been any point. They had a tendency to just tell him to keep his head down and let them take care of it, even when he’d been taking care of things just fine.

So he’d gotten into the habit of just… dealing with stuff when they happened. Like Hunter J. She was a huge, recurring problem, but he knew there was nothing Officer Jenny, the Pokemon Rangers, or anyone could do about it. So he’d just dealt with her when she showed up, and forgot about her when she wasn’t there.

But somewhere along the line, things had changed. When he had to tell adults stuff, they stopped telling him to leave things to them, and instead asked how they could help. And… even weirder… they actually had helped.

Sometimes it was nothing special – just someone to give information or help them get to places. But other times Ash couldn’t imagine having succeeded without the gym leaders, champions, and rangers that showed up to help. As an Ultra Guardian, Ash even had the adults actually telling him literally everything he needed to solve problems before he even knew about them.

Somehow, he’d started thinking that if you told an adult about a problem, then they’d always know exactly how to handle it.

But none of that compared to this. The Aether Foundation was totally focussed on Ultra Space, and the Ultra Beasts, so of course they had all the information they needed to help the Ultra Guardians. Professor Cerise knew nothing about Team Rocket, let alone the Shadow Balls.

So, short term, what he really needed to do was go back to how it used to be. Deal with stuff when they happened, and deal with normal life when they didn’t. Help Professor Cerise figure stuff out as they went. He could do that.

Even if Ash wasn’t sure Professor Cerise was on the right track.

“But if that’s what you’re after,” Goh said suddenly, raising his rotomphone again, “maybe we can figure out where Team Rocket are striking from.”

“Whoa- really?” he asked, jerking around to look at him. “You can do that?”

Goh grinned triumphantly, raising his nose in the air and holding his rotomphone up by his jaw. Ash was pretty sure he was trying to look more impressive than silly. “Don’t underestimate my incredible research abilities! Remember, the day we met, I knew exactly where to find Lugia purely from research! I can find anything I need to!”

Silly he might have looked, but Ash was always impressed with people who could do stuff he couldn’t. “Wow, Goh! That’d be amazing!”

“Just give me some time and I’ll have the perfect location mapped,” he said, but then paused, lowering his phone as he thought about it. “I mean, I _should_ be able to figure it out. There’s gotta be reports to Officer Jenny about stolen pokemon, right? Maybe we can use those to triangulate their location.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, but that all sounds great to me!” Ash said cheerfully, and Goh winced through his smile.

“Sure. It’s just that…”

“Just what?”

“I mean, come on, Ash. Say we find out where Team Rocket are striking from. What’re we gonna do about it?” he asked. “I know you’re a really strong battler, but you and me can’t take on the whole of Team Rocket in one go. One or two at a time, sure, but this could be a whole army. We can’t take on a hundred trainers at once.”

Ash had to admit that was probably true. He folded his arms again, trying to estimate more realistically than his love of a challenge wanted him to think. “I guess it’d depend on my team, but…”

“Which team would that be, though?”

It was a different voice, but it still took Ash a second to realise it wasn’t Goh asking the question. They both turned, and Ash flinched as he recognised the girl standing behind them.

She looked younger in the daylight, but those differently-coloured pigtails were unusual enough that even Ash could remember her. It was the same girl that he’d seen on the road back in Pallet Town – the one that had ignored his greetings. She smiled pleasantly at Goh before focussing directly on Ash.

“You’re Ash Ketchum, right? From Pallet Town? I’m a big fan of yours,” she said. “I’ve been reading all about your career lately.”

“My…”

“Career?” Goh repeated, glancing at Ash, who shrugged back. He guessed you could call it that.

“It’s nice to meet you,” he said to the girl. “I saw you in Pallet Town last week, right?”

“I guess you did. Sorry I didn’t introduce myself then, but it seemed a bit late for a meet and greet,” she said. “I hope I didn’t bother you at all.”

“Uh… no, it was just a little weird,” he said, though he couldn’t help noticing that she still hadn’t introduced herself now. Maybe she was waiting for the right moment. He shook himself to break past the awkwardness and stepped forward, pointing to Pikachu. “Well, I guess you already know me. This is my partner, Pikachu.”

“Pi-kachu,” it said slowly, while Goh moved up alongside him.

“And I’m Goh, and this is Scorbunny,” he said, gesturing to the rabbit by his feet before raising a pointed eyebrow at the girl. “And you are…?”

Her smile widened slightly. “Go, huh? Like the game?” she asked, and he narrowed his eyes as she giggled. “That’s kind of funny! You should wear black and white to really look the part!”

“Game?” Ash repeated, while Goh clenched his fists.

“You think my name is funny?” he demanded, and Ash winced, recognising the same defensive attitude that had cropped up at the Flute Cup. Goh really didn’t seem to do well with strangers and banter.

“I’m sure she didn’t mean anything by it,” he said, but just like the Flute Cup, the girl didn’t back down at his anger, instead giggling even more.

“So aggressive! You mustn’t be a very strategic player then. Not like Ash,” she said, winking at him, and Ash blinked, then grinned back.

“You can’t have been lookin’ very hard at my matches! I don’t think I’ve ever been called strategic!”

Goh shot him a look that made Ash kind of regret answering, and quickly went back to glaring at the girl. “I’m plenty strategic! I just don’t play dumb games!”

“Oh?” she asked. “So what games do you play?”

“I don’t!” he snapped. “Everyone knows pokemon are what really matter, and even then, I’m _strategic_ enough not to waste my time on battles that don’t matter!”

“Now there’s a statement all of its own!” she said, leaning forward from the hips. “Every pokemon battle makes a trainer stronger, so I’d say every pokemon battle is important. Don’t you think so, Ash?”

He hesitated, and—for possibly the first time in his life—realised there was no right answer before he even opened his mouth. He laughed awkwardly, glancing between Goh and the girl and wondering how exactly things had gotten so bad so fast. “Uh… I mean… I – I guess it depends on what kind of trainer you are… right?”

She clapped her hands like he’d said something really entertaining. “Wow, you’re so nice! Making weaklings that don’t battle feel better about themselves!”

“ _Weaklings_?!” Goh visibly bristled, fists clenching as he surged into the girl’s personal space. “Who are you anyway? Coming out of nowhere, saying dumb stuff like that! You haven’t even told us your name!”

“Names only matter if you let them, _Goh_ ,” she said, but then bounced where she stood, twirling on one foot and giving them another wink that almost sparkled. “Everyone knows the real way to get to know someone is to have a pokemon battle!”

“What does pokemon battle have to do with anything?” Goh demanded, and Ash quietly looked away. Now was not the time to let Goh know what a novice that made him sound like.

“Wow, you are a newbie!” the girl tittered. “I’ll tell you what, _Goh_. Let’s make a deal! You beat me in a pokemon battle, and if you’re still interested afterward, I’ll tell you my name!”

Normally, Ash would have said that was a perfectly standard offer. Half the travelling battle trainers he’d ever met on the road only gave their names out at the start or after a good hard battle to introduce themselves. But Goh wasn’t exactly a travelling battle trainer. He didn’t get that kind of thing.

And even if he was… something about this felt kind of weird. It didn’t feel like the start of an argument that a good battle would cut off.

“Seems like a pretty lame prize to me,” Goh said stubbornly. “Besides, I don’t enter into wagers without knowing the whole deal. What happens if I lose?”

“You mean if _I_ win?” She paused, shooting Ash a weird smile that he really didn’t understand but which made Pikachu’s fur stand on end. He kind of knew why. Her smile felt… sort of… powdery. “I already know a name, so if I win, I get something else.”

“Oh yeah? Like what?” Goh ground out, and the girl’s eyes did a strange flick up and down Ash’s body before returning to Goh.

“Believe you me, there’s _plenty_ more I’d like to know.”

And with that, Pikachu abruptly leapt off Ash’s shoulder and onto Goh’s, making him stagger awkwardly from the sudden weight. But Pikachu didn’t wait for Goh to recover, just snatched a pawful of hair for grip and leaned over, static sparking as it growled at the girl, “Pika! Pikapi-kachu! Pii-ka!”

“Uh…” Ash said, because Pikachu wasn’t Goh’s pokemon and couldn’t really accept on his behalf. “Hang on a second…”

“Scor! Scorbunny!” Scorbunny objected, jumping up and waving its arms at Pikachu. It jumped in between Goh and the girl, thrust out its chest, and announced, “Scorbun! Scor-scorbun!”

“Pika!” Pikachu snapped at it, before going back to the girl. “Pii-ka!”

“Well,” she said with a laugh, “it seems I have some contenders at least! So how about it, _Goh_? Will you defend your… honour? I hope you’re not scared to lose,” she added with another wink at Ash.

Goh spluttered, his hands awkwardly flailing as he dithered between dealing with Pikachu and gesturing at the girl. “What are you – Don’t be – that’s – fine!” he yelled, giving up on Pikachu to clench his fist in front of her face. “But I won’t lose! I catch really strong pokemon, and I’ve been watching Ash train all this time! You better not complain about the outcome!”

She just laughed again. “I won’t. Come on, let’s get out of the street – I know a place where we can have a real battle.”

“Lead the way!” he snapped.

They headed off, the girl almost skipping and Goh storming after her, leaving Ash to wonder when and how things had gotten so weird. Only a few minutes ago, he and Goh had been talking about finding Team Rocket. And now Goh was running off to have a pokemon battle with a strange girl, both of them sounding like it was something… very different.

Ash was confused.

Ah well. She might have been weird, but the girl was right: there was no better way to get to know someone than a pokemon battle. Surely this would make more sense one they were done.


	11. (Broken) Battle

It was hard to imagine now, but it was only a few years ago that Pikachu hadn’t really liked battling.

He hadn’t been very good at it, for one thing. Mostly, he’d been good at shocking things and then running away before anyone could catch him. Being forced to become a trainer’s pokemon had been just about his worst nightmare, and he’d been very much hoping that Ash would quickly catch a full team and decide that Pikachu would be better off in the wild, thank you very much for your service, see you around never.

But then, much to his disgust at the time, he’d actually ended up _liking_ the stupid human.

In hindsight, it all started with that one statement: “Well, I like you.”

And then, there were the spearow.

Then the supercharged bike.

Hugs and laughter and a strong shoulder to carry him and within a week, Pikachu couldn’t imagine life without his stupid, reckless, ridiculous human. It was a sad state all around.

So he’d battled for Ash. Because Ash picked fights with _everyone_. The idiot needed a champion and he usually picked Pikachu because _of course_ he would always pick his starter and not the pokemon actually suited for the job.

It was generally terrible. Ash was a horrible trainer, and they lost every time.

But sometimes, Ash would come up with these… strategies. These _ideas_. And they made a weird, twisted kind of…

Even when they didn’t work, Ash’s ideas were _fun_.

Battling became interesting.

And once it was interesting, Pikachu discovered, it became exciting.

Before he even knew it was happening, Pikachu started looking forward to battles. Training was still boring until about their third or fourth journey, when Ash learned how to make that interesting too. And suddenly, Pikachu realised with horror, he had become one of _those_ pokemon. He loved to battle. He loved to train. He loved to test his skills.

These days, there was nothing Pikachu loved more than a real, rock-hard _challenge_.

He literally dreamed of taking on legendaries. Going up against Tapu Koko had been the most exhilarating thing he’d ever experienced and he really, really, _really_ wanted another shot at Lugia. He could do it! He could totally take down that fish-bird! He was _made_ to take down that fish-bird! Let him at it!

But even with all that said, there were some battles that weren’t fun.

Sometimes, it all went back to the old days, where he was just battling for Ash’s sake. But these days, Ash wasn’t the one picking the fights. And so far too many battles were about keeping his stupid idiot of a human safe.

Because Ash was wonderful, and fun, and kind, and above all he was Pikachu’s to love and care for, but he was still really, _really_ dumb. And he could never recognise when he himself was in danger.

This girl was dangerous.

If asked, Pikachu couldn’t say exactly what it was he didn’t like about her. Part of it was the way she looked at Ash. A lot of people looked at him like that these days, but she made it especially nasty. Part of it was that she was picking a fight with Goh and trying to drag Ash into it – Pikachu had learned to be suspicious of anyone who caused tension among Ash’s friends. But most of it was just her. She was just creepy. Pikachu never liked creepy humans.

So he was kind of annoyed that Ash wasn’t going to be the one battling her. He wanted to personally take down every one of her pokemon and then hopefully blast her off too.

Instead, when they reached a training field, Goh pointedly set Pikachu down on the sidelines and stormed off to one end of the field with Scorbunny. Which meant Pikachu was going to have to watch _amateurs_ do _his_ job and probably _fail_ and then he was going to have to keep an eye on Ash for ages and ughhh it was so _frustrating_!

“I’ll be the referee!” Ash proclaimed, trotting to the centre field. “Is three-on-three okay with both of you?”

Three on… ugh. Pikachu could take all three of her pokemon at once!

“Sounds like fun,” the girl said cheerfully, and Goh scowled.

“Fine with me!”

“Great! Alright, this is a three-on-three battle! Either trainer can substitute pokemon at any time! The battle is over when all three pokemon from one trainer are unable to battle!” Ash flung his arm up and then sliced it down through the air. “Battle begin!”

Goh threw out his arm with a shout, “Let’s go, Scorbunny!”

Scorbunny raced out onto the field with a wordless cheer and immediately began shadow boxing. Pikachu and Ash turned to watch the girl, who touched her chin thoughtfully, then giggled and spun in place, apparently pulling a pokeball from nowhere that she casually flicked over her shoulder.

“Time to play, Liepard!”

“A liepard, huh?” Ash murmured as the cat appeared on the field. Goh was faster in pulling out his rotomphone.

“ _Liepard: the cruel pokemon. A dark-type, and the evolved form of Purrloin. This stealthy pokemon sneaks up behind prey without making any sound at all!_ ”

The girl laughed daintily. “Do you start every battle with research? You know you win battles by doing! Liepard, Fake Out!”

“Keep your eyes on it, Scorbunny!” Goh snapped, not that it would have done much good. Even putting aside the fact that Liepard was clearly older and more experienced, Scorbunny was much too honest to recognise a move like that. Liepard casually sauntered across the battlefield, smiling the whole way and even pausing when it reached Scorbunny to give it a pleasant look. Confused, Scorbunny faltered out of its defensive pose, paws dropping to the side, and turned to watch as Liepard continued wandering around like it was completely uninterested in the battle. Since Scorbunny’s attention was completely focussed on Liepard’s face, it was entirely unprepared for the tail that viciously lashed out, whipping Scorbunny right on the back of the head.

Unsurprisingly, the next attack called was a Sucker Punch, and Scorbunny was still stumbling off-balance from the first attack when Liepard’s tail snapped up and around to catch it on the chin. Poor Scorbunny went flying.

“Ooh, that was a good hit,” Ash muttered, and Pikachu fought the urge to drag his paws down his face in sympathetic horror. This fight was just going to be painful to watch.

But Scorbunny was nothing if not stubborn, and once it had hit dirt, it rolled over and clambered back to its feet, weaving slightly from the two head blows. Goh called its name and it flung back a paw, insisting it was still fine.

“Ooh,” the girl said, “I like a fighter!”

“Knock it off!” Goh snapped. “Scorbunny, Quick Attack!”

“Mmhm, Fury Swipes,” she said, flicking her wrist, and both pokemon leapt into action.

Surprisingly, Scorbunny actually scored a hit, shoulder-tackling Liepard in the chest and making it stumble, but really the attack just brought it into closer range. Liepard lashed out with one paw, the first strike snatching Scorbunny out of its chest and away. The second strike hit its side, making it spin. The third caught Scorbunny’s back, and thankfully the momentum sent it out of range of the fourth swipe, tumbling into the dirt to lay still.

Pikachu could feel Ash cringing sympathetically, but he still paused to check before raising his arm up. “Scorbunny is unable to battle!”

No kidding, Pikachu couldn’t help thinking as Goh ran onto the field. Liepard casually wandered away but still watched as Goh picked up Scorbunny, staring at it in shock and horror.

“Looks like you and Scorbunny still have some training to do!” the girl said lightly, which, while true, still made Pikachu glare at her. He didn’t always understand humans, but he knew there were things you weren’t supposed to say after an easily-won battle.

“Shut up! Scorbunny is trained to help me catch pokemon!” Goh snapped, digging out Scorbunny’s pokeball and returning it. “The next round won’t be so easy.”

“Fine, fine. Tell you what, using Liepard was probably a little mean,” the girl said, and beckoned her pokemon back toward her side of the field. “I’ll use a weaker pokemon in the next round, okay?”

“I don’t need you to take it easy!” Goh stormed back to his trainer box and pulled out another pokeball. “Do what you like! Scyther, go!”

It appeared with its usual pronouncement of impending victory (Pikachu wished it well, but considering he’d never seen it actually win a battle, he didn’t really understand the ego), slashing the air twice with its blades. The girl lifted a hand up to her mouth, pretending to gasp while actually grinning broadly, her other hand doing a strange flick that brought another pokeball from nowhere.

“My, my, my, whatever shall we do? Weavile, this might be a _challenge_!”

Weavile materialised in the middle of the field with its arms folded and eyes closed. It barely opened one to look up and over at Scyther before huffing with disinterest.

“ _Weavile, the sharp claw pokemon_ ,” Goh’s rotomphone reported. “ _A dark and ice type pokemon, and the evolved form of Sneasel._ ”

It continued its explanation, explaining their territorialism and general nastiness, but Pikachu had stopped listening almost as soon as Weavile appeared. His trainer had made an odd noise and was now frowning, his eyes flicking between Weavile, Liepard, and the girl like there was something he didn’t understand.

‘ _Partner?_ ’ Pikachu prompted, but Ash didn’t immediately react. Frowning, Pikachu clambered up Ash’s side to perch on his backpack, and poked his trainer’s neck. ‘ _Ash?_ ’

“Huh? What’s up, buddy?” he asked, his head only just shifting to show he was listening, and Pikachu shifted to tug on his hair instead. A battle could always distract Ash, but this was ridiculous.

‘ _What’s up with you?_ ’ he asked. ‘ _You’re being weird._ ’

“What? Oh, yeah, no, I just…” As the battle began again, Scyther swooping down over Weavile’s head, Ash almost immediately refocussed with a determined grin. “It’s nothing. Just I wouldn’t have picked this girl as a dark type trainer.”

Honestly, Pikachu was a little surprised by that too. He’d picked her as poison, if anything. But he didn’t really believe that was what had caught Ash’s attention. Still, it probably wasn’t the right time to push, so he just curled his paws into Ash’s shoulder and settled in to watch the mess play out.

“Air Slash!” Goh ordered, and the girl threw out both hands.

“Icy wind!”

One of Scyther’s slashes landed, making Weavile yowl in anger, but the yowl may as well have been the start of its attack for all that it stopped it. It roared, cold air blasting out from under its arms. Scyther tried to dodge again, but the ice caught its wings, crystals edging up along the vulnerable veins until they were too heavy to fly. It stumbled out of the air and landed badly, tripping over its footing.

“You have to focus up, Scyther!” shouted Goh. “Put all your energy into the next Air Slash!”

“Oh, sweetheart, you’re so cute,” the girl said. “Break through with Metal Claw and then finish off with Ice Shard!”

“Scyther!” Goh cried, but he hadn’t spent much time training Scyther, and he wasn’t like Ash. The shout carried no energy, no inspiration to carry on. Scyther screwed up all its energy and swung with two incredible blasts of cutting wind, but Weavile deflected them both with loud clangs of metal strikes and spun, eyes flaring red and deadly as it formed a spike between its claws. Scyther tried to duck, but with its wings frozen it couldn’t move fast enough to avoid the icy dagger Weavile thrust into its abdomen.

Pikachu buried his face in Ash’s shoulder. The girl was going to win effortlessly. _Ugh_.

“I like your pokemon, Goh!” she said cheerfully. “They’ve got spunk! Shame about their trainer, though!”

Ash’s shoulder rose slightly under Pikachu’s head, but he didn’t say anything, and Goh was too mad to rile much further. He didn’t waste time responding beyond throwing out his next pokemon.

“Parasect! It’s all on you!”

“Oh? Another bug, huh? Well, let me make this really easy on you, then,” the girl said, and held up a pokeball for them to see. It looked perfectly normal, and she didn’t do anything special with it, just waiting to make sure they were all paying attention before tossing it up and over the field.

Ash drew in a sharp breath as it materialised, and Pikachu glanced at him curiously. It was a Cacturne. Unlike most cacturne, it wasn’t grinning, and its eyes gleamed red instead of the usual gold. All but ignoring Parasect’s standard vacant stare, Cacturne slowly turned to look around the field. It exchanged a long stare with its trainer, and spent an extended moment looking at Pikachu and Ash before moving on.

Ash was so tense that he was almost setting off Pikachu’s static senses. He pushed Ash’s collar out of the way so he could touch skin, hoping the familiar touch of his own electricity would calm his trainer slightly. ‘ _What’s wrong?_ ’

“Her pokemon…” he murmured. “They’re all…”

‘ _What?_ ’

But what they were, Pikachu didn’t find out, as the girl leaned forward, hands laced behind her back. “Come on, Goh! Let’s see some of that strategy in practice! Make your move!”

“Oh, I’ll move alright!” Goh snapped, and he flung out an arm. “Parasect! Take this carefully! Poison Powder, let’s go!”

It confirmed, hunching slightly as the noxious purple fumes filtered out of its mushroom. Cacturne made no move to even try to avoid it, only rocking its weight back and coughing slightly as it absorbed the attack and gained the nasty status.

“What…?” Ash breathed, and Pikachu hitched himself up a little to try and see better. He didn’t like poison, but he was pretty sure pokemon like Cacturne hated it especially. And yet, once it had recovered from its cough, the green scarecrow just straightened up and went right back to silently staring. Somehow, even Parasect seemed more expressive.

“Well?” Goh demanded of the girl. “Aren’t you going to do something?”

“What, are you complaining about an easy fight, now?” the girl asked, laughing again. “Wow, I really can’t win with you, can I?”

“Quit joking around! If you’re not going to make a move, then we will! Parasect, Fury Cutter!”

Never perturbed by much of anything, Parasect again just confirmed, quietly lifting its claw and then viciously swiping it down hard. But again, even though Pikachu was certain it should have really hurt, Cacturne barely flinched, only a slight increased glow in its visible eye hinting that it had felt it at all.

Goh hesitated, obviously confused, but clenched his fist in front of him and surged forward as he shouted, “Fury Cutter again!”

Cacturne still barely moved.

“Keep going!”

After the next two hits, Cacturne finally stumbled, and Pikachu noticed the girl smile before she calmly said, “Payback.”

Without any warning, Cacturne’s arm lashed out so hard that when it hit Parasect’s mushroom, Parasect was not only slammed into the ground but actually rebounded, nearly knocked sideways from the blow, and a tangible wave of energy blasted out around it. Pikachu could never tell whether a parasect was conscious or not, but Ash wasn’t given time to call it as the girl folded her arms and ordered, “Frustration.”

Immediately, Cacturne screamed, and Ash cringed away from a sudden blast of energy that made Pikachu’s fur stand on end. It was horrible, like the worst kind of ghost-type move, but Pikachu forced himself to look up and watch as Cacturne leapt into action, lashing out with arms and legs to repeatedly beat Parasect’s mushroom harder and harder until it ended on one final, furious blow that sent it sliding back across the field. It crumpled without a word, unquestionably out of the fight.

Cacturne slowly and silently returned to its original stance.

Ash was still hunched over, one arm raised defensively, and so Pikachu reached over to touch his neck again.

‘ _Ash?_ ’ he prompted. ‘ _Ash, are you okay?_ ’

He glanced at Pikachu, then straightened up to look at Cacturne again. It was staring right back.

“Well, ref?” the girl asked, oblivious to Ash’s concern. “I think the battle is over, don’t you?”

He stared at her for a second, his jaw clenching, before he swung away to face the field as a whole, lifting his arm overhead. “Parasect is unable to battle. That means the winner of this match is the challenger.”

“Sure does!” she said, throwing up Cacturne’s pokeball and catching it before looking across the field to Goh. “Looks like you won’t be getting my name, _Goh_. Shame you didn’t live up to yours!”

He didn’t say anything, returning Parasect in silence. Pikachu frowned at him worriedly, but neither he or Ash could go check on him right now. The girl was skipping over to them, and Pikachu scrambled up to get in position on his trainer’s shoulder, ready to defend.

“As the winner, then I get my prize, right?” she asked. “Isn’t that how these things work?”

“I guess,” Ash said, but he looked over at Cacturne, who still hadn’t moved, and then past the girl to where Liepard and Weavile were standing over near her trainer box. “Your pokemon are really strong. You must have some… interesting training methods.”

“Oh, you noticed that, huh?” she asked. “Yeah, they’ve been training a long time, my pokemon.”

“Were they traded?” he asked, and she smiled mysteriously.

“Not a single one. I don’t give away valuable things,” she said. “What do you think of them?”

Ash gazed at her quietly for a second, then pointed out, “Most trainers don’t use Frustration on purpose.”

“No, which is a real shame,” she said. “It’s pretty powerful.”

Again, Ash didn’t immediately answer, just staring at her with increasingly furrowed brows. In contrast, the girl’s smile slowly expanded, and Pikachu growled as she leaned in to speak quietly.

“Frustration is a key part of my strategy,” she said. “Isn’t it interesting, the things you can learn about someone through a pokemon battle? I wonder what I’d learn if I saw _you_ battle.”

“Is that a challenge?” he asked, and Pikachu could have cheered, but instead clenched a paw and shook it slightly.

‘ _We accept!_ ’ he snapped, but the girl leaned back with a careless, amused shrug.

“No thanks. I think I’ve learned all I want to, today. About you, and especially about Goh,” she said, and then turned around. One by one, she returned her pokemon and quietly tucked their balls away. This time, Pikachu could see that she had them hidden up her sleeves and under the belt line of her trousers, tucked into the fabric where you couldn’t see them. She looked back at Ash over her shoulder with a wink. “I’ll be seeing you around, Ash.”

He blinked, then took a half-step forward, his arm rising as if to catch her. “Hold on! Aren’t you going to say something to Goh? Even if he lost, you still –”

“I don’t think he cares, and I definitely don’t,” she said. “Bye now.”

And with that, she walked away, up the stairs and out of sight. Ash stared after her for another moment, then turned and hurried over to where Goh was still standing in the scratched-up dirt where Parasect had dropped. His fists were clenched and shaking by his sides.

“Goh!” Ash called, only slowing to a stop when he was less than a metre away. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” he said, though he didn’t lift his head and his lips were pressed together so tightly they were paling. “I just… didn’t want to lose to her. Y’know?”

“Yeah… she was…” Ash trailed off, then grimaced and reached out to clap him on the shoulder. “Well, nothin’ we can do but get stronger and challenge her to a rematch, right? Come on, let’s get to a Pokemon Centre, whaddaya say?”

“Yeah,” he said quietly. “Yeah, let’s go.”

But as Ash led him away from the field, Pikachu looked at his partner, remembering how Ash had reacted to each pokemon, and especially to that last move. They’d seen Frustration used before, and while Ash had never really liked it, he’d never reacted like that.

There was something weird going on with his trainer. Pikachu would figure it out.

But for now, he snuggled in close to Ash’s neck, and together they focussed on trying to cheer up Goh.

* * *

Different trainers reacted to their pokemon needing to visit Nurse Joy in different ways.

Some would worry, unable to leave the waiting room. They’d stalk back and forth in front of the exit doors, staring up at the attending sign with glistening eyes and panic.

Others were just relieved their friends were getting treatment, and would trust Nurse Joy to do her job. They would leave the grounds completely, promising to come back in a few hours for pick up.

Maybe unsurprisingly, Goh didn’t seem particularly anxious, but he didn’t want to leave the waiting room either, instead plonking himself down on the chairs and glowering at his rotomphone. Ash sat beside him, Pikachu on his lap, and waited for his friend to say something.

When a few minutes passed in furious silence, Ash peeked sideways and was again unsurprised to see him on what Ash vaguely recognised as a battle blog. He’d never read one himself, but some of his friends had recommended them in the past, and he’d seen Goh on them a few times in the last few weeks. They were kind of weird, in Ash’s opinion – kind of like the textbooks he’d had to read at the school, only written by ordinary trainers instead of professors.

This particular blog seemed to be about liepard, and the best ways to combat them.

“I bet you know exactly what you would’ve done different, huh?” Goh asked without looking at him, and Ash blinked, then shrugged vaguely.

“Not really. I never know what I’m gonna do in a battle until I’m in it.”

Goh glanced at him, then sighed and went back to his article. “I don’t get it. I’m not a bad trainer. I do okay against Team Rocket. I catch strong pokemon. I barely got a single hit on that girl. What did I do wrong?”

If Ash was really being honest, he knew he should point out that Team Rocket wasn’t like a normal trainer, and catching a strong pokemon had nothing to do with knowing how to battle with it. But Goh was already upset, and probably wouldn’t take it well. So he instead focussed on the other point. “That girl’s obviously had her pokemon for a long time, and they definitely have a load of strategies. She probably has battles like that all the time,” he said slowly. “There’s nothin’ wrong with being beat by a strong trainer. Especially not when you’re just startin’ out.”

Goh didn’t immediately answer, his thumb fidgeting on the screen to make it scroll up and down. “You would’ve been able to beat her.”

“Maybe, maybe not,” he said honestly, and leaned his head away as he thought about the battle. “Those pokemon were weird. That Cacturne especially – how still it was, even when it got hit? It wasn’t even guarding, or building up energy or anything. It was…”

“Creepy,” Goh said, and Ash winced but had to agree.

Cacturne were generally creepy pokemon – like ghost-types, they kind of enjoyed freaking people out a little, with their unusual faces and glowing eyes. But that one had just seemed… It had barely felt like it was there. It was just… present. It…

“It didn’t care,” he said, and realised it was true after he’d said it. On his lap, Pikachu lifted an ear, and then its head, and Ash smiled to reassure it, petting it absently even as he continued, “That’s what it is. Cacturne didn’t care what happened to it.”

“It didn’t care?” Goh repeated. “What do you mean?”

“Like it could win or lose, its trainer could praise it or yell it, and it just wouldn’t care,” he said, and bit his lip, suddenly wishing he’d done something after the battle. He and the girl had even talked about her pokemon – he should have asked her if she needed help with them. Cacturne clearly needed _something_. All of her pokemon needed something.

Because none of them, he suddenly realised, had really cared about the battle. None of them had really cared what that girl thought of _how_ they battled. They were following orders because they seemed sensible enough, or because they didn’t have anything better to do. But the outcome of each attack was just… even when they won, they didn’t _care_.

“Some pokemon don’t like to battle, but that’s different to this,” he said, shaking his head. “Those pokemon didn’t care one way or the other. They didn’t care about anything. That’s not normal.”

Goh pulled back slightly, raising an eyebrow. “You think so? I know you’re a lot better than me at figuring out how pokemon feel, but…” He hesitated for a few seconds, visibly debating how to continue before he eventually did. “The battle was weird, especially Cacturne, but I dunno, Ash. That just seems… I mean, what even makes you think that?”

“Well, it –” He stopped, because even he knew it wasn’t obvious this time. It hadn’t been obvious to him during the battle, and he _knew_ Goh couldn’t even read his own pokemon’s emotions sometimes. Ash didn’t really even know where he’d gotten the idea. He just knew it was true. He turned away, trying to focus a little harder on scratching Pikachu’s ears. He suddenly felt kind of dumb for mentioning it. “I dunno, I just… that’s what it felt like to me.”

Thankfully, Goh didn’t call him out on his weirdness, instead just looking at him for a few seconds before tucking his rotomphone away. He pushed his hands down between his knees, kicked his feet a couple of times, and then asked, “That’s different to what you say the Shadow Pokemon are like, right?”

What he _said_ they were like… Ash winced. “The Shadow Pokemon are angry, and they’re missing something important. Cacturne was…”

“Not like that. Okay. I was just checking,” he said, and looked over with a twisted, grimacing smile. “Because I feel pretty bad about losing already. If it turns out she was one of those Team Rocket jerks and you could’ve helped one of her pokemon, I’m gonna feel even worse.”

Ash grinned awkwardly, lifting his hand off Pikachu to wave the idea away. “Nah, it was totally different. And she didn’t try to take any of your pokemon! I’m pretty sure she was just weird.”

“Weird is right,” Goh agreed with a heavy breath. “At least she didn’t demand anything for winning. I wonder what she even wanted.”

Ash hummed thoughtfully. If she’d stuck around, he would have said she really had just wanted a battle. But she hadn’t. And she’d made that weird statement about learning all she needed to know… “Maybe we can find out, if we run into her again.”

“I hope we don’t,” he said, rolling his eyes away. “She was a jerk, and I’m glad she’s gone.”

Ash smiled but didn’t comment. This was definitely one of those things he was going to disagree with his friend on. Considering all those girl’s pokemon, and how they’d felt, he really wanted to see her again. He really hoped he could help them out.

He really hoped she wasn’t as bad as he kind of felt she might be.

* * *

On the other side of the city, Mahjong tapped the device in her ear, opening up the usual channel as she held up Cacturne’s pokeball in front of her eyes. Not for the first time, she wondered if pokemon could see out of their little cages.

“Mahjong, reporting in. I’ve had quite the productive twenty-four hours. The good news is, the secondary problem is not a problem. Or at least, he’ll be dealt with easily enough.”

“ _Good,_ ” Arlo said coldly. “ _I look forward to your next information packet on Giovanni’s brat._ ”

“Should be coming along this evening,” she said. “In the meantime, I’ll need a delivery to restock my potions and antidote. My pokemon took a few hits in the line of duty.”

“ _Any impact on their mental state?_ ”

“None,” she said. “The control remains controlled.”

“ _Good. I’ll have Sierra arrange something. Arlo out._ ”

The line cut off, and Mahjong shrugged to herself. She still had work to do.


	12. (What some might call) Good People

Once upon a time, Arlo had been what some might call a ‘good person’.

He’d been the perfect example of a young researcher. He’d completed a solid year journeying around his home region of Sinnoh, and although he’d formed a team of reliable pokemon that he trusted to manage his battles, he’d ultimately decided he was more interested in science. He’d signed on with a smaller research institute and worked his way up until he was on Professor Rowan’s radar as an up-and-coming student of Pokemon Science. He’d been successfully courting the man for a job.

But then Gary Oak decided to become a researcher. And apparently, being the grandson of the great Professor Oak was all it took to earn you the only open position at Rowan Labs.

He had barely any experience, and his speciality was completely unrelated to Rowan’s studies. It was the most flagrant case of nepotism Arlo had ever seen.

But he hadn’t let it bother him. Yes, he’d lost his chance at his dream job, but it would have been a step backward on the career ladder anyway. He was a junior scientist in his current lab – he would have had to have gone back to assistant to work with Rowan. And he still had Rowan’s respect. He didn’t let it bother him.

He focussed his studies on pokeballs, trying to build up more of a detailed understanding of how they worked. At the time, Johto had been the centre of pokeball research, and Arlo had the skill and drive to lead Sinnoh in overtaking it.

But then strange events started happening in Sinnoh. Team Galactic, who had never been that big of a deal, were suddenly appearing in rumours and news stories. More and more research began focussing on myth and religion. People were asking about just how much power came with mastery over time. What could you really do with the power to bend space?

And then, out of the blue, one day Rowan called him to help with some research he was running. He had his entire team on it, but it apparently wasn’t enough, so he was calling in any additional hand he could trust.

‘Trust’, hah.

Arlo had come when called, the good little lapdog, and showed up to Rowan’s camp in the middle of nowhere. He’d done as asked. He’d run tests on strange energy signatures, reported analyses in real time, done _incredible_ science without context, but was he ever _given_ that context?

No.

No, he was never told.

Long after the big event was over, and Rowan had given him a pretty reference ( _junk_!), Arlo had been forced to figure it all out for himself.

The legendary lake trio.

No… not just that.

The _Creation_ Trio. _Palkia_ and _Dialga_.

Team Galactic had tried to take control of two of the most powerful pokemon known to mankind. They’d almost succeeded.

And it was all being hushed up. Quietly ignored.

Researching for weeks on end, Arlo was able to figure out the whole scheme. The Adamant and Lustrous Orbs, the Lake Guardians, the Spear Pillar… someone had tried to summon the power to cross dimensions and remake the world! It all made perfect sense! It was incredible! The things they could have done, the changes he would have made to the world…!

All that knowledge and power, hushed up, and for what? _Why_? What was the _point_?

“Some things,” Rowan had said when he confronted him, “are best left alone.”

“And so only you should know about them?” he snapped back. “This power could change everything!”

“And so it must not be used,” he argued. “Dialga and Palkia are too powerful – they must be protected from the likes of Team Galactic at all costs.”

“That has nothing to do with the question! If you want to ensure the Red Chain is never used again, then post guards! Give the orbs to government agents! Protect the keys! Don’t just cover everything up and hope no one finds out! What kind of childish thinking is that?”

“Watch your tone, boy.”

“Don’t avoid the subject, old man!”

In hindsight, perhaps not the best response to an esteemed Pokemon Professor.

Arlo had been thrown out of Rowan Labs and put on probation at his work. Maybe it was paranoia, but he started noticing strange people in the corner of his eye, watching him. He suspected people visiting his research station at night. The ethics committee started demanding reports on his pokeball research, and denied him permission to conduct experiments.

All because he dared ask a question.

All because he’d expected a researcher to _own_ his research.

And to think, he’d looked up to Rowan.

Rowan was a child. Rowan was treating the whole world like children.

Well, the cold hard truth of it was that children needed to be taught. He’d learned his lesson. Truth was a commodity. There was no such thing as respect. Trust. The people you admired were lying, were choosing what you should know, controlling your world and for _what_?

So they could keep the status quo.

As if the world they had now, with its lies and deceit, was even worth saving.

It was around that point that Sierra and Cliff showed up at his apartment, leaning in the doorway and stopping him from going home.

“What would you say if we offered you the chance to change all that?”

“What?”

“Our employer believes this world is rotting away under its current leadership,” said Sierra. “There are too many secrets… too much instability. There are too many powerful creatures allowed to run wild, and they keep this world from moving forward. He wants to change that.”

“Giovanni will show everyone the truth,” Cliff had said confidently. “He’s gonna make a world where everyone has a place, where everyone knows where they can stand tall. He’s gonna bring order to this world.”

“Let me guess,” Arlo had sneered. “ _His_ order. He gets to decide who knows what, and where they stand, and what the world looks like. Sounds like a new man for the same job.”

“Giovanni is ten times greater than anyone in charge now!” Cliff snapped, and Sierra’s lips curled up, drawing Arlo’s attention back to her.

“What are you smirking about?” he demanded, but she didn’t react, just waited a moment before responding calmly.

“Do you want to know how men like Giovanni stay in power?” she asked. “It’s because they have people who tell them things. They have people who find out the information to tell them what they need to know. Giovanni will need people who get to decide what _he_ needs to know.”

“People who decide what the secrets are,” Arlo surmised.

“Or if there even need to be any.”

He’d hesitated. He’d been a good person, once.

“Let’s hear your offer.”

* * *

As much as Ash loved travelling, there was a little bit of a downside to jetting around the world for a few days at a time.

“How are you not jet-lagged?” Goh groaned, slamming his pillow over his head. “It’s almost midnight back home!”

“But it’s ten in the morning here!” Ash pointed out, waving at the sun shining through the curtained windows. “Come on, you can sleep on the plane home! Don’t you want to catch more Unova pokemon?”

Goh grumbled something incomprehensible, curling up under his blankets until he was nothing but a lump with a pillow for a head. Standing over him, Scorbunny looked down, then back up at Ash, and shrugged helplessly. There wasn’t much it could do.

“Gooooh,” Ash wheedled. “You’ve never been to Unova before, right? They have the most amazing buildings here. And there’s this bridge, it’s huge! You’ve gotta see!”

“Is the bridge actually an ancient pokemon?” he mumbled through the pillow, and Ash pulled back to stare at him.

“What? No… at least, I don’t think so… Why? Is that –”

“Then I don’t care and neither should you.”

Ash set his hands on his hips, debating the best way to handle this. They were supposed to be flying home in like six hours, they didn’t have long to see stuff, and who knew when or even if they’d ever come back to Unova. He couldn’t understand why Goh was determined to waste all their remaining time in bed. “We’ll never know if we don’t go look! Come on! Another pokemon discovery to be uncovered by Professor Cerise’s amazing research fellows!”

Goh groaned, his grip tightening on the pillow. “Go battle a bug catcher or something; I’m sleeping.”

Ash continued staring at him for a few seconds, then sighed and gave up. He was usually able to follow the sun when he travelled, taking advantage of the flights or train time to sleep, but he was pretty useless if he didn’t get ten hours across a day. Goh, on the other hand, seemed pretty stuck on Kanto time. Ash had conked out as soon as they got back from the dig site yesterday, but he didn’t know how long Goh had been awake.

“Okay, but I’m coming back in four hours and if you’re not up I’m gonna drag you outta bed and into a shower,” he warned, and then looked up at Pikachu, still perched on the top bunk and waiting. “Guess it’s just you and me, buddy. Ready to go?”

“Pika!” it chirped, and immediately leapt to his head. He rocked with the weight, letting Pikachu clamber down and find its balance on his shoulders before he reached down to grab his backpack.

“We’re headin’ out!”

“Pika-chu!” Pikachu added, waving to Scorbunny as Ash opened the door and stepped out.

But without Goh, Ash realised as he stepped out onto the street, he didn’t really know what he wanted to do. He’d already seen the tourist spots in this city, and Unova didn’t usually have a lot of wild pokemon parks to hang out in. While Goh made catching pokemon sound super fun, it wasn’t really his thing.

“I guess we could go get some food, but then we might not remember lunch,” he said slowly. “And it’d be better to have lunch with Goh, if he wakes up by then. We should probably wait.”

Pikachu mumbled its agreement, looking around the street in search of something else to do.

“I guess we _could_ go to a trainer park, see if we can find someone looking for a battle?” he suggested, and Pikachu perked up, pointing out that it had been a while since they’d had a battle for fun. But that only reminded it of the gym battles they weren’t having anymore, and it slumped down again, reminiscing about how it felt to train for a hard fight.

“I know, right?” Ash sighed, digging his rotomphone out of his pocket to pull up a map. “I mean, I don’t really miss the gym challenge – not enough to go join another league or anything. It was starting to get so samey, you know? But that feeling… knowing there’s someone out there stronger than you, someone you gotta build up and get stronger to match… man, there’s nothing like it! It’s been ages since we’ve had a real rival, huh?”

But when they finally reached the field, it was to find it completely empty, without a pokemon trainer in sight. They both slumped over, disappointed.

“Pika pikaaa…” Pikachu groaned, only to suddenly perk up again, pushing up on his shoulder to stare around. “Pi?”

“Hm? What’s up, buddy?” he asked, but Pikachu didn’t answer, just lifted its head to look up into the sky. It physically jolted, a shock of static rolling out of its cheeks in surprise.

“Pi _kaa_?!”

Ash craned his neck back. It took him a second, but when he saw it, he nearly fell over too. “ _No way_!”

There was a pokemon slowly floating down from the clouds. And not just any pokemon, but the self-proclaimed most powerful pokemon in the world, casually floating down from nowhere. _Mewtwo_.

And as he stumbled back to make room, Ash realised it _wasn’t_ the one he might have actually expected to find in Unova. It was a little taller, a little more angular, and its eyes carried a weight the Unovan Mewtwo hadn’t had. This was the one from Kanto.

“Pikachuu,” Pikachu breathed as Mewtwo touched ground in front of them. It blinked lazily back, apparently waiting for a second greeting.

“Aren’t you…” Ash hesitated, lifting a hand only for it to stall in front of his chest, not sure how to progress. “We met before… on that island… right?”

‘ _One could say so, yes,_ ’ Mewtwo’s telepathy was just as heavy as Ash remembered it. Every word felt it had been carved in stone and dropped in his head. It made the slight hesitation in its tone all the more noticeable. ‘ _I apologise for not visiting you before. I have had the opportunity, once or twice._ ’

Ash blinked, then shifted his weight, lifting a hand to the back of his head. “It’s okay. I’m not exactly great at keeping in touch with old friends either.”

Even Pikachu hesitated awkwardly, no one really sure how to continue the conversation. Asking why Mewtwo was in Unova would be pretty rude, and asking why it was visiting him of all people might sound like he didn’t appreciate it. He didn’t know how to small talk, especially with someone like Mewtwo!

‘ _I wished to thank you,_ ’ Mewtwo said slowly. ‘ _For… you have never told anyone of the cloned pokemon._ ’

“Of course not,” he said, relaxing slightly. “Do you know how they are? Where are Pikachutwo and Meowthtwo? Are they doing okay?”

‘ _Everyone is well. I check on the clones often._ _Pikachutwo and Meowthtwo are currently living in a cave near your home. I did not wish them to come here, where pikachu are uncommon. It would have stood out,_ ’ Mewtwo hesitated, then waved its hand, and Ash flinched as a wave of energy ballooned out around them. But it didn’t do anything, just settled as a large, hazy bubble that was kind of difficult to see out of. Mewtwo inclined its head in apology. _‘A shield. I wished to speak with you, but this is quite an open space. I had hoped for privacy._ ’

“Huh,” he said absently, but then the words parsed and he frowned, looking at Mewtwo again. “Wait, you wanted to talk to me specifically? How come?”

Mewtwo smiled slightly. ‘ _I believe it is customary to strike up a conversation when one sees an old friend._ ’

He blinked, then forced himself to relax the rest of the way, laughing awkwardly. “You’re probably right!”

They ended up on the side of the training ground, and Ash had to try not to get distracted by the way Mewtwo was sitting. It had its knees up, its tail wrapped around to cover its feet like a meowth. It would have been really cute if Mewtwo wasn’t as tall as Ash and crazy powerful. Ash decided it was safer to stare blindly at the fuzzy shield, or down at Pikachu in his lap.

‘ _I came to Unova because I heard of another like me,_ ’ Mewtwo explained. ‘ _Another mewtwo._ ’

Ash glanced at it sideways, not sure whether it wanted confirmation. “Yeah?”

‘ _I am certain it is not in this city – if I am following the correct energy, then this mewtwo is on the other side of the region._ ’

“So how come you’re _here_?” he asked, and Mewtwo made a small psychic noise like a dry laugh.

‘ _A good question. I have found many other things to do instead. None of them of import. For example, I was monitoring the golurk in the desert when I noticed your presence. Why are_ you _here?_ ’

He shrugged. “I’m working with a researcher called Professor Cerise, and he wanted to know about the dig site. Me and my friend Goh go all sorts of places, checking out weird stuff so Professor Cerise knows about them.”

Mewtwo’s eyes narrowed slightly. ‘ _Why does he wish to know such things?_ ’

“Because that’s what he does! He’s uncovering the mysteries of pokemon, one weird thing at a time!”

But Mewtwo didn’t even blink, apparently waiting for more of an explanation. Since Ash didn’t have anything better, Mewtwo eventually prodded for more, ‘ _And when he has this information? What does he do with it?_ ’

Ash opened his mouth, but then stopped. He didn’t actually know. Ren and Chrysa talked about research papers, and he knew that was what scientists did most of the time, but so far Professor Cerise hadn’t actually done anything like that. “I think he’s just gathering data at the moment. When he finds something really cool, he’ll probably release it. You know, tell other people about it.”

‘ _He is a teacher?_ ’

“I guess you could call it that…”

The psychic noise this time felt like a hum, and Mewtwo looked away. Ash hesitated, exchanging glances with Pikachu, then cleared his throat and asked, “So uh… if you came to Unova to meet the other mewtwo, and it’s not in this city… how come you haven’t left?”

‘ _I am… not certain, sometimes,_ ’ it said, lifting its head toward the sky. ‘ _I came here to meet this other mewtwo, but I find myself unwilling to do so. It is foolish._ ’

“Why don’t you want to meet it?” he asked, and Mewtwo paused, a silent weight in Ash’s mind telling him it was considering the best way to explain.

‘ _It is complex. But also very simple._ _To know there are others like me, who may have lived a similar life to the one I have experienced…_ ’ It opened its palms wide, and then clenched them into fists, which it then pulled against its torso. ‘ _If there is indeed another like me, created by humans for selfish purposes, mistreated, abused… I wonder what that would say about my own experiences. Would I feel comfort, to know another feels my pain? I would I be forced to realise that such is the fate of my kind? Would I feel…_ ’ It trailed off again, but Ash already knew what it was trying to say.

“If the same thing happened to everyone like you, then maybe you shouldn’t make such a big deal of it?”

He felt more than saw Pikachu look up at him, and so Ash absently reached up to pet its back. It was something they both knew he struggled with sometimes.

Every Pokemon Trainer lost sometimes – you couldn’t really get stronger if you never had anything to learn from. So you couldn’t get too bogged down in your failures. And even the worst trainers won sometimes. You’d get lucky, or find yourself in the right place at the right time… with a judge that made a call you weren’t sure you agreed with but which meant you made it through the semi-finals anyway…

So there was no point in getting too wrapped up in your success either.

Every Pokemon Trainer battled tough trainers. Every Pokemon Trainer was meant to help people if they could. Every Pokemon Trainer went through the exact same stuff that he did. He wasn’t special.

Sometimes that was nice to remember. Other times…

‘ _If that is true,_ ’ Mewtwo said lowly, ‘ _Then surely I should be_ _stronger, and not be so concerned with the things that I have experienced. I overcame them. That is what matters, does it not?_ ’

It wasn’t a fair comparison—Pokemon Training and all the terrible things that seemed to always happen to mewtwo—but… yeah. Ash knew that feeling.

‘ _On the other hand, what if this other mewtwo is_ not _like me?_ ’ Mewtwo continued. ‘ _What if this mewtwo was made for good reasons, and lived a better life? Would that mean that the things that happened to me… the things I have done… They are my burden alone. Why would I have been so tortured? For what purpose? Why was I made for such things, if others were not?_ ’

Why did Ash run into rare and hurting pokemon when so many other people didn’t? How come he had to fight people like Team Rocket and Hunter J, when there were people who were actually trained and paid to stop them? How many times had he had to make a hard decision and do something even he knew was crazy because there was no one else?

Was it… was he…

_Was_ he special?

Was he different to everyone else?

Maybe… if he was different to everyone… then maybe it was okay when he lost all those important matches.

If he _was_ special—if there was something different about him—then maybe it was okay that he could only win a League when people bent the rules. Because maybe he’d just been fooling himself. Eventually, he was going to figure out that he wasn’t supposed to be a Champion or a member of an Elite Four or anything like that – he was supposed to be…

All his dreams. Everything he’d ever wanted.

Maybe he was just fooling himself, and that was supposed to be okay.

Or maybe it was all just a coincidence, and there was nothing special about him. He was a little weird, with weirder luck, but nothing incredible. Nothing important to anyone. Just another dumb kid that was gonna fail because he wasn’t good at what he wanted to do.

“So if you don’t meet the other mewtwo,” Ash said slowly, “you don’t get answers, and that means it could be either one.”

‘ _And if either could be true, then I have no need to accept either one,_ ’ it confirmed. ‘ _I am only myself, and I may choose what that means._ ’

“But you know you _could_ know the truth,” he finished for it, and it nodded once.

‘ _Yes. It is cowardice to not find out,_ ’ it said. ‘ _And so I am here in Unova, where I may find my answers. But not in the city where they lie._ ’

In his lap, Pikachu was restless, tail flipping in annoyance. Ash tried to calm it down, scratching behind its ears, but Pikachu just jerked away, obviously not wanting to get distracted from the conversation. It eventually burst out with a sudden stream of chatter that Ash couldn’t quite catch, but made Mewtwo raise its brows in mild interest.

‘ _You say it is bravery? To hide from my true purpose?_ ’

That wasn’t what it meant, and Pikachu snapped, slamming its paws against Ash’s knee in point. Mewtwo listened quietly, and then smiled and inclined its head, apparently accepting the argument.

‘ _To choose to follow one’s own path, without concern for fate… you make it sound a greater choice. And I suppose I should take advice well proven. Thank you. But I cannot agree._ ’

Pikachu huffed and sat back in Ash’s lap with a scowl, and Ash decided that since it apparently hadn’t gotten anywhere, he probably shouldn’t ask. He looked up at Mewtwo again instead. “Do you want to know about the other mewtwo?” he asked. “Would that help?”

It shook its head. ‘ _Had I wanted you to tell me about the mewtwo in this region, I would have sought you out many months ago._ ’

“Huh? How did you know I –”

Pikachu to cut him off with a disgruntled comment about someone shooting their mouth off, and Ash frowned. “What’s that mean?”

‘ _It means that it was through your pokemon that I heard of the other mewtwo,_ ’ Mewtwo explained. ‘ _Your team, as they call themselves, tell stories of their adventures, and those stories spread throughout Oak Ranch and then to wild pokemon. I suspect they are exaggerated, but stories of your travels spread rapidly._ ’

He pulled back, blinking rapidly. “Wait, you mean there are pokemon I’ve never met that know about me?”

‘ _I suspect most would not recognise you as the human from the tales. But Mew knows you, and your pokemon. Mew enjoys harassing them in various forms,_ ’ it added dryly, and its brow twitched again as it continued, ‘ _Mew was very excited to tell me of the other mewtwo, and the mega-evolution I have not performed_.’

“Oh,” Wow, Ash had nearly forgotten about that. “Yeah, I –”

‘ _As if I, the world’s most powerful pokemon, would need such petty abilities,_ ’ it said, telepathic words somehow gaining in volume – or maybe just taking up more space in Ash’s head. ‘ _Mega-evolution is only necessary for those who cannot become strong without such energies. I alone wield the power of gods, and to increase it through temporary transformations would be meaningless._ ’

Was Mewtwo actually getting defensive…? “Well, I guess the other –”

‘ _I do not need your reassurance,_ ’ it snapped. ‘ _I_ know _I am the strongest pokemon in the world; just as I know I am its greatest pokemon master. I do not need any proof of what is obvious._ ’

Ash could feel Pikachu just itching to prod at that, and he’d be lying if he said he didn’t really, really want to challenge Mewtwo to a battle. He didn’t remember ever seeing it battle on its own, let alone as a trainer, and either way it had been so long that any battle they may have had once would be nothing like they had now.

But now probably wasn’t the time. And it was beside the point.

“I don’t think that mewtwo would be interested in proving it either,” he said honestly. “It fought to protect its friends. I don’t think it really cared about being strong.”

‘ _Nor do I_ ,’ Mewtwo snapped. ‘ _It is just a fact, and not one that should be argued._ ’

Pikachu’s tail was shivering with suppressed laughter. Ash plonked his hand down on its head to keep them both from grinning. “You don’t wanna know if you can beat mega-evolution?”

‘ _I already know that I can,_ ’ it said, and Ash straightened up a little.

“Really? Does that mean you’ve battled someone? Who was it? It must have been a pokemon with a trainer, right? There aren’t a lot of pokemon that can mega-evolve without one, or a stone, so –”

Mewtwo turned its head to look at him directly, eyes narrowing. ‘ _I am not certain whether you are attempting to aggravate me or just asking pointless questions out of naivete. Mew plays such games often. Do not pick up its habits._ ’

He blinked again, then laughed. “I dunno what that means, but okay. I’ve actually never really talked much with a mew… they seem pretty weird. You’re good friends with one, right?”

‘ _Mew is a constant pest,_ ’ it said, but there was a warm, fond current through the words that made Ash smile. ‘ _It appears regularly with titbits of information it thinks I need to know._ ’

“Like about the other mewtwo?”

‘ _Yes. Or that my –_ ’ It paused, glancing at him, then continued, ‘ _Such is how I knew when you returned to Kanto, smelling of the sun. And that now you travel with one who intends to catch Mew._ ’

He jerked, surprised by the detail. “Mew knows Goh wants to catch it?”

‘ _Oh yes. Mew finds your companion fascinating,_ ’ it said, its eyes narrowing again. ‘ _You should tell your friend to be careful. The interest of any legendary pokemon is a dangerous thing for a human to have. Mew in particular._ ’

Pikachu grumbled that they knew that a little too well, but both Ash and Mewtwo skated past it. “How come?”

Again, Mewtwo paused, just looking at him for a moment before apparently deciding what to say. ‘ _Mew does not understand humans. It barely understands other pokemon. It does not understand what is fun, and what is dangerous. It will do many things in the name of play that most humans would consider life threatening._ ’

That… sounded very familiar. Ash nodded, pointedly not thinking about the Tapu, or some of the mew he’d known in the past. “Does it mind that Goh wants to catch it? What would it do if he tried?”

‘ _I do not know,_ ’ Mewtwo admitted. ‘ _I suspect Mew may allow itself to be caught, for a time. I do not think your friend will have it for long._ ’

“What do you mean?”

‘ _Just as no human creation could contain me, no pokeball could hold Mew,_ ’ Mewtwo said firmly. ‘ _Not if it wanted to leave. And it will leave. Your friend will not capture Mew. It will stay in a pokeball, perhaps for a long time, but it will not be caught, and it will leave when it pleases._ ’

Ash frowned, not really following. “I know pokemon can get out of their pokeballs, but… you’re kind of saying Mew could just… break the pokeball?”

‘ _That would be the easiest way to explain it,_ ’ it said. ‘ _I am not sure you could understand the science._ ’

Ash scowled, immediately irritated. He knew he wasn’t that smart, and there was a lot he didn’t know or understand, but he hated it when people just dismissed him out of turn. “Hey, I might! I work for a scientist now, y’know, and I’ve been studying for months!” he pointed out. “You could at least try to tell me!”

Mewtwo turned its head away. ‘ _I do not need to explain it._ ’

He huffed, folding his arms over his chest. “Man… that’s so unfair! You know, I’m actually tryin’ to figure out pokeballs at the moment. The least you could do is give me some ideas!”

‘ _You? Trying to understand pokeballs?_ ’ Mewtwo raised its brow as it looked at him sideways again. ‘ _For what purpose?_ ’

He briefly considered being petty, and claiming he didn’t have to explain it, but he also had a feeling Mewtwo might actually be able to help. Professor Cerise was getting all caught up in what Ash could do for the shadowed pokemon, which he considered beside the point. Mewtwo would definitely focus on the important stuff. “Team Rocket have these really creepy pokeballs that can catch caught pokemon.”

Mewtwo’s shoulders pulled away, even as it turned its head to look at him properly. ‘ _That is not possible._ _I destroyed the designs._ ’

“Wait, you know about them?” he asked, and Mewtwo balked, then inclined its head slightly.

‘ _I may. Tell me more about these pokeballs._ ’

He did his best to explain, first giving it the design, and then reciting what had become a kind of prepared story. He still couldn’t really find the words to properly explain how shadowed pokemon felt, or how he could break past the block to remind them of their happier times, but he’d figured out enough that most people generally knew what he meant. Mewtwo stared at him intently through every word, and it almost felt like it was listening to his thoughts more than his actual words. At the end, it only paused a moment before lowering its gaze to Pikachu.

‘ _Do you notice the same aura?_ ’

Pikachu shook its head, explaining that at best, it knew the pokemon were particularly mean and angry. The thing it noticed, more than anything, is that they made Ash upset. If there were lots of them around, Ash got distracted during battle. It didn’t like that.

“I’m not distracted,” Ash objected, but the two pokemon ignored him. He rolled his eyes and raised his voice. “It’s not like that! It’s just like… It’s like when you know someone’s hurting, you can’t just ignore it. It’s like seein’ someone cryin’, you know? It’s uncomfortable. You wanna do something.”

‘ _Not everyone would feel that way,_ ’ Mewtwo noted, but it looked up at him again. ‘ _But it does not surprise me that you would. You are a kind person, for all your faults._ ’

Wow, he was starting to hate compliments like that. “Hey, come on!”

Mewtwo ignored him again. ‘ _I will have to look into this. You said you had encountered these pokemon in Kanto?_ ’

“Yeah… but Team Rocket’s goin’ after gyms in Hoenn too. And Professor Oak said some stuff’s been weird in Johto. Might be the same thing.”

‘ _I shall investigate,_ ’ it said firmly, pushing itself to its feet, and Ash balked.

“Wait, what? What about the other mewtwo? Aren’t you going to meet it?”

‘ _That can be done at any time,_ ’ it said. ‘ _Team Rocket is capable of great evil. They twist emotions to make others follow their bidding. I will not allow Giovanni to do to other pokemon what – what he attempted to do to me._ ’

Ash frowned, staring up at Mewtwo worriedly. “Yeah, but… What if Team Rocket go after you? That was what they were doing back when we met, right? If these pokeballs can catch anything –”

‘ _They cannot catch me. And even if they could,_ ’ Mewtwo tilted its head so it could smile down at him. ‘ _I have come to know I can rely on you, Ash Ketchum. You have done me services you could not understand. I am certain that should the impossible happen, you will overcome it._ ’

“Thanks, but… hang on, wait, hold up,” he said, and gathered up Pikachu, encouraging it up onto his shoulder so he could stand as well. “I don’t even know how I help those pokemon! If you get caught by those pokeballs, then – How would I even know you’d been caught? They’re not gonna give a pokemon like you to some random Rocket! I might never see you again!”

At first, it looked like Mewtwo was going to brush him off, but then it paused, looking off to the side for a moment before coming back to him. ‘ _As much as I would like to believe I cannot be caught, our second meeting is proof enough that even I may be surprised. You have a point_ ,’ it conceded, and then turned to face him. ‘ _I shall not engage Team Rocket directly. I will merely investigate, and return to you with my findings._ ’

Ash let out a breath, nodding in relief. “Great. Be careful, okay?”

‘ _And to you._ ’

He smiled, reaching up to touch Pikachu’s side. “Always! No one’s gettin’ a hand on Pikachu if I’ve got anything to say about it!”

‘ _While that is good to know, it is not what I meant,_ ’ it said, and then switched its gaze to Pikachu. ‘ _You have been very lucky. That luck will not last forever._ ’

“Pika,” it agreed, and Ash clenched his other fist.

“It’s not luck. No one is taking Pikachu away!” he said. “I’ll make sure of it!”

Mewtwo just looked at him silently for a moment, then returned its gaze to Pikachu, and both pokemon nodded like they were agreeing on something he didn’t know. Mewtwo turned and took a few steps away before stopping to look back again. ‘ _I have told you before, and you did not listen then. But you are a unique human. You have the strength to feel others’ pain, and the kindness to heal it. But you must not allow it to become a weakness. Team Rocket will use it against you._ ’

Ash frowned, not following. “What? Kindness isn’t a weakness – my friends make me stronger. They always have!”

‘ _I hope that remains the case. Goodbye for now, Ash Ketchum. We will meet again._ ’

And with that, it blasted up into the sky, so fast Ash couldn’t track it. He tried to see where it had gone, searching the clouds, but there was no sign of where it had disappeared to, and when he looked down, it was to discover the fuzzy shield was gone too. While they’d been talking, another trainer had arrived and was directing a blitzle to run laps around the field.

“Kindness as a weakness…” he mumbled, and then leaned his head back to look at Pikachu. “And what were you two talkin’ about? It’s not luck that stops Team Rocket all the time!”

Pikachu gave him a weird look and told him he’d figure it out one day. But in the meantime, there was a trainer, and they hopefully still had time for a battle.

“Yeah, definitely, but… hang on, are you tryin’ to distract me?”

Pikachu grinned and pointed, asking if he really wanted to keep having confusing conversations, or if he wanted to go battle a trainer.

“You know that answer to that. But I’m not gonna forget about this!”

As Pikachu pointed out, he probably would. But in the meantime, there was a battle to be had and new friends to be made. He rolled his eyes, grinned, and hurried down to meet the boy who would hopefully be his next opponent.

They could worry another day.


	13. (Emotional) Turmoil

There was an odd feeling that sometimes twisted up under Goh’s chest, making his stomach contract and the back of his eyes tingle. It was really stupid, and he hated it.

Despite what Chloe sometimes claimed, Goh was self-aware enough to be able to recognise the feeling as a kind of resentment. He did know that. But he’d thought he was old enough not to get it anymore. It had been pretty common when he was a kid, when his parents would cancel plans or Chloe got invited places that he didn’t. Being an immature kid, he’d resented those cancelled plans even when he understood why he was being left behind. He didn’t need any friends, but he was still human. He still wanted to be invited places. It was natural to feel rejected.

But he was older now. He had moved past it. He understood his place in the world, and he was going to make the future what he wanted it to be.

And yet, for some reason, Ash was capable of knotting up Goh’s chest with just a few careless sentences.

“You met an old friend? Here? In Unova?”

“Yeah, I wasn’t expecting it at all!” he said cheerfully. “The world really is a small place sometimes, huh?”

There was a lot to unpack about the statement. While Goh had been sleeping, Ash had unexpectantly run into an old friend in the middle of Unova.

Another old friend.

For someone who’d claimed to have been unpopular as a kid, Ash sure had a lot of friends. And in _Unova_. It was a reminder that Ash had been here before. Sometimes it seemed like Ash had been everywhere in the world.

And it was an old friend in Unova that Ash hadn’t deigned to bring back to the Pokemon Centre. Probably because he didn’t think Goh was worth an introduction, and –

Okay, that was probably unfair.

And besides, it wasn’t like Goh really wanted to meet Ash’s old friends. They all seemed to be Gym Leaders or Pokemon Trainers or Pokemon _Professors_ … All amazing people that had all built up amazing careers while simple little Goh was wasting time in school learning algebra and history. And they were probably all like Ash, too – all cheerful, charming, heroic… _better_ …

Goh didn’t need that kind of insecurity in his life.

“Well, I’m glad you found something to do,” he said, picking up his burger and trying to redirect the conversation. “I don’t get how you can just ignore your body clock! I’m exhausted!”

Ash shrugged, never concerned about anything. “I’ll sleep on the plane. It’s a long flight home!” He paused, glancing down at Scorbunny and Pikachu before letting his eyes wander around the airport cafeteria.

The cafeteria they were only eating at because Ash had lost track of time. Probably got caught up talking to his friend. Whatever the reason, he had only just gotten back in time to wake Goh up, gather all their stuff together, and rush back to the airport. Which was a shame, apparently, because Ash had wanted him to experience a ‘real Unovan hot dog’. Like he was some kind of expert local. But they were making do with an airport lunch.

Goh sighed into his burger, well aware of how nasty his own thoughts were getting. It wasn’t fair of him.

He was just tired, and sometimes it was really grating to remember the kind of exciting life Ash had led while Goh was stuck in school. Sometimes it was hard not to feel…

“Hey, Goh? About my friend –” Ash began, and Goh sighed again, loud enough to be heard this time. He needed to _not_ think about Ash’s amazing history right now.

“Did you get their phone number?”

Ash blinked. “Phone number?”

“Yeah, so you guys can talk more,” he said blandly. “I know you’re not used to having a phone, but that’s what people do. They exchange phone numbers and chat.”

He hesitated. “Um… I don’t think it would have a number…”

“Even you have a number now. Everyone has a phone these days,” he said dryly, and took a large bite of his meal. He could feel Ash staring at him, and knew he was being a little bit of a jerk, but he couldn’t deal and he needed to take care of his own mental space right now.

“Okay… it’s just that we were talking about how you want to catch Mew, and –”

He immediately put down his burger, frustration overtaking any attempt to distance himself from the conversation. He had to chew and swallow a slightly too large mouthful, but thankfully Ash caught his stare’s meaning just enough to hold off on finishing his sentence until Goh could interrupt. “You told your friend that?”

“Uh… n- is it a secret?”

“No, it’s just…” It was his life’s goal! He didn’t want people blabbing it everywhere, gossiping behind his back! Oh, silly little Goh with his silly impossible dream! No! “You can’t just tell people my goals, Ash. They wouldn’t understand! How would you like it if people went around talking about you behind your back?”

He hesitated, then chuckled, scratching his cheek with one finger. “Well, now you mention it –”

“Exactly, so just don’t do it, okay?” he snapped, and picked up his burger again. “I speak for myself.”

“Yeah, okay, sorry. It just came up in conversation,” Ash hesitated, watching him for a moment before speaking again. “Are you okay? You seem kind of stressed out.”

He grunted around his next mouthful. He was being a jerk, but he was tired and groggy and grumpy and Ash was cooler than him with loads of friends and experience and Goh just felt like trash all round. Ash not calling him out on being harsh wasn’t helping, either. “I just… I don’t like it when people talk about me behind my back.”

“Oh… yeah, I get that, but we weren’t. Really. It just came up…” Ash trailed off, grimacing guiltily. “Sorry, I know you didn’t get enough sleep, probably. That’s really hard to get over.”

“It’ll be fine,” he mumbled. Why did Ash have to be so _understanding_ all the time? Way to make him feel even worse. “So did your friend get a good laugh outta me wanting to catch Mew?”

“What? No, no way!” he said. “We were just talkin’ about how…”

Goh looked up, chewing his way through another mouthful. Maybe something showed in his expression, because Ash faltered again, lifting his shoulders in an apologetic shrug.

“It’s just that Mew can be kinda weird sometimes. You should be careful, you know?”

He grunted again and swallowed his burger. “Well, that’s why I’m catching every pokemon there is. So I learn everything I need to know to catch the original pokemon. Nothing it can do will surprise me, if I know everything there is about every other pokemon.”

Ash’s mouth twisted in a weird, complicated expression, but he didn’t say anything. He looked down again, to where Pikachu and Scorbunny were eating pokeblocks, then abruptly leaned down to open his backpack. Surprisingly, he came back up with his rotomphone. “It’s been a while since I looked up anything about Mew. Does the pokedex have anything about it?”

“Not a lot,” he said, grateful for the change of topic. Pokemon were easier to talk about. “A lot of people still think it’s a myth. I’m probably one of the very few people that have ever even seen one in person.”

“They’re really cool,” Ash agreed as he pulled out his rotomphone. “Let’s see what we’ve got. Hey Rotom, can you show me what the pokedex says about Mew?”

Thankfully, the conversation mellowed out into a research session from there, and Goh was able to bury his bad mood in the myths and legends of his favourite pokemon. He wasn’t in the mood to figure out how to have a friendship with Ash today.

* * *

He should have told him.

Gazing blindly up at Golurk, who had come out of its pokeball, inspected Cerise Park for a few minutes and then quietly found the highest point to sit down and become still on, Ash decided he had definitely done the wrong thing.

It didn’t matter that Goh had been even spikier than normal; Mewtwo had given him a definite warning and Ash should have tried harder to pass it on.

He’d kind of justified it in his head. Mewtwo wanted to remain a secret. The other mewtwo had never said as much, but Ash knew the Kantonian Mewtwo would prefer the world didn’t know about it. So he’d never told even his mom or Professor Oak about it. There was no reason to break that and tell Goh.

No reason other than Professor Kukui had told him to be honest. And Goh was his fellow researcher. They were supposed to be partners. They were supposed to uncover secrets together. And Professor Cerise knew how to keep secrets when they were important, so he’d almost definitely agree that this was a secret worth keeping, so it wasn’t like the secret would go far even if Goh did tell someone.

He’d also figured that it wasn’t a good time, because Goh was pretty clearly in a bad mood. He was never great when he first woke up, barely tolerating Ash’s energy until he’d at least had something warm to drink. And he hadn’t slept enough. So no way he would’ve reacted well to finding out Ash had met not only a couple of mew but also a couple of _clones_ of Mew and maybe didn’t really think it was a _great_ idea to try to catch either of them and…

And Ash didn’t want to be that guy who told someone their dream wasn’t a good idea.

If Goh wanted to catch Mew, then Ash was going to support him. Goh wanted to catch every single pokemon so he could learn about them. That was a good goal. A good, fine, hard goal that Ash would totally support and help him with.

Yup.

So he should have told Goh about Mew, and Mewtwo, and that even if he caught Mew it would probably only be because Mew thought that would be a fun time and it was absolutely going to be making fun of him and arghhhh…

“Something the matter, Ash?”

He flinched and looked around to find everyone staring at him. Apparently he’d missed something. “Huh? Oh, no, sorry. What’s up?”

Professor Cerise raised an eyebrow, smiling wryly. “You seem distracted. Did you notice anything important at the dig site? Any strange energies?”

“Energy? No, nothing like that,” he said blankly. “Just the traps and stuff.”

“Are you sure?” He gestured vaguely behind them, back toward the door and probably the Institute beyond. “Do you perhaps want to talk about it in my office? Maybe you might recall something.”

Chrysa and Goh both looked up at Professor Cerise, before Goh came back down to Ash, his brow furrowing. Ash blinked back, feeling vaguely like he was missing something again. “No, I think Goh covered everything. Sorry I wasn’t much use this time! I’ll try and help Goh out on the report!” He turned toward his partner, lifting his fists. “We gotta make sure we include every second of that raid battle! Golurk was crazy powerful, huh?”

He jerked, but quickly recovered to smile and nod. “Y-yeah! Really… we’ll have to do it justice. But um, before that, I think I’d like to go for a walk. The plane ride was really long and I need to stretch my legs.”

“That sounds like a great idea! We’ll come with you!” Ash said cheerfully, and looked down at Pikachu. “What do you say, buddy?”

“Pika!”

Scorbunny jumped up, touching its toes in excitement as it agreed, “Scorbun!”

Honestly, Ash was half-expecting Goh to object, but he didn’t even seem a little reluctant. In fact, once they were out on the road, heading down toward the city, he only waited a few minutes before speaking up. “Um… about before…”

Pikachu was on the shoulder closer to Goh, so Ash had to lean around slightly to give him an encouraging smile. He was really hoping this walk would get his partner back in a good headspace.

Unfortunately, it started badly, as Goh blushed, ducking so his chin slipped behind his collar. “At the airport, I mean. I’m… I didn’t…”

“Are you feeling better?” he prompted. “You said you were tired, right? Did you get some more sleep on the plane? I was totally zonked out the whole flight!”

“I… yeah,” he said, and peeked at him from the corner of his eye. “I caught up. I was… I was pretty tired.”

“Well, it’s good you got that nap then! There’s nothing worse than when you don’t have the energy to even think straight!”

Goh didn't answer, so Ash pulled back, taking a deep breath of cool air. “It’s really great that Professor Cerise doesn’t mind us goin’ out like this when we’re not on a job. Since we’re always travellin’ around the place, it’d be super easy to get all focussed on work an’ stuff and not take care of ourselves.” It was always good to take a break and rest up when you were getting too into something – he’d learned that in Unova, surprisingly. Actually, maybe that was the point! He clicked his fingers in realisation. “Hey, if you’re not good at skippin’ timezones, then we gotta allow time for you to rest up between travel and jobs! Otherwise you’re just gonna run outta steam! And then we’re gonna have to rely on me to do all the research, and that’s not gonna be good for anyone!”

Pikachu giggled at the thought, but Goh’s eyes were slowly widening into a blank stare.

“We should talk to Professor Cerise about it. If we’re goin’ somewhere that’s got like a big difference, so it’s night time there when it’s daytime here, then we should ask if we can have an extra day! That way you can rest up and we can still get everything done that we need to!”

Goh just continued staring at him for a few moments, before he suddenly closed his eyes and looked away. When he reopened them, he looked strangely tired again, despite his smile. “Of course that’s all you say about it.”

“Huh?”

He shook his head. “It’s nothing. You’re just a really strange person sometimes.”

“Strange?” What had he done that was strange? He hadn’t done anything weird these last couple of days, had he? Hadn’t mentioned anything weird, hadn’t done anything different… He glanced at Pikachu in search of a hint, but it just looked back at him, equally confused. He’d been normal, even for other people. He frowned. “What’re you talkin’ about?”

“Don’t worry about it. You wouldn’t understand.”

Ash felt his shoulders hunch, his hands curling into fists even as he tried not to rile up. It was just like Mewtwo. “You don’t know that. Why don’t you try me, I might!”

“It’s not important,” Goh said with a heavy sigh, and he folded his arms behind his head, gazing up at the skyline. “But you’re probably right. It seems like most places we go, we really only have time to get there, do our research, and go home. That’s fine when it’s in Hoenn or the Islands, but the further you go, the harder it is to just keep going. We should ask the Professor for a little more travel time on jobs.”

So he agreed. Only… he was also ignoring Ash’s question. That was kind of frustrating.

But, Ash reminded himself, he couldn’t complain about Goh not telling him stuff. After all, Ash was the one doing the wrong thing, keeping Mew and Mewtwo a secret, just because he didn’t think Goh would react well. Goh was probably just trying to avoid confusing him. Or he didn’t want Ash to think less of him – Ash was pretty sure Goh was the kind of guy that kept secrets out of pride. It was way less of a big deal than what Ash was doing.

Still…

“You know, Goh… we’re partners. If there’s anything you wanna tell me,” he began slowly. “I know I might not get it, but… you know I’d listen, right?”

He didn’t even look around, just huffing out another breath that somehow seemed even more tired than before. But he was still smiling. “Yeah, Ash. Thanks.”

It wasn’t a good answer. It almost felt awkward. So in a weird way, Ash was almost grateful when he felt, and then heard, someone new breaking into the conversation.

“Ooh, I think we're interrupting a _moment_!”

They both stopped at the new voice, looking around to see where it had come from. They had reached one of the wider turns on the hill, with a stretch of trees between the road and the cliffside. Half-hidden in the brush were two figures in black, with distinctive red Rs on their jackets.

“Team Rocket!” Ash snapped, swinging around to face them. Pikachu leapt off his shoulder to perch on the road gate, already sparking in threat, while Scorbunny scrambled up from where it had been trailing behind Goh’s heels. It wasn’t anyone he recognised, but just like the pair from Cerulean, it was a man and a woman in the simple black uniforms of the lower Rockets, already holding the bad pokeballs in hand. He had a feeling neither of them had a pokemon in them yet.

“You’re Ash Ketchum, right?” the woman asked. “The brat that’s been getting in our way.”

“We’ve been hearing a lot about you. You’ve been beating up us Rockets and stealing our stolen pokemon!” the man sneered. “But none of the rumours said anything about you being so soppy!”

Goh shoved himself a few steps forward, thrusting his hand out as if to keep Ash back. “Yeah? If you’ve heard so much about him, then you know better than to mess with us! You’d be better off just giving us those poor pokemon now!”

They both laughed, and the man dropped into a pitcher’s stance. “I’ve got a better idea. Dark Ball, _go_!”

Ash reacted more on instinct than actual recognition, throwing his hand out at the same time Pikachu jumped. “Pikachu, thunderbolt!”

“Pika _chuu_!” it yelled, zapping the ball right out of the air. That gave Goh and Scorbunny enough time to react as the woman threw her own.

“Scorbunny, Double Kick!” Goh yelped, and Scorbunny was able to flip off the road gate, tumbling through the air to catch the pokeball on its side with one foot, knocking it off its trajectory. The second kick was an easy rebound, sending the ball rocketing back into the tree beside the Rocket’s shoulder. It cracked on impact and fell to the ground in two pieces, weird black lightning crackling over its surface for a second before it fell still.

“Well, it was worth a shot,” the female Rocket said, before pulling out another ball. “Plan A, then.”

The male chuckled ominously as he took out his own, and Ash looked to Goh.

“You up for a tag battle, Goh?”

“Any time!” he agreed, clenching his fist. “Scorbunny, you ready?”

“Scorbun!”

“Al- _right_!” Ash grinned and turned to the side for a better stance, so he could focus. “Let’s do this!”

* * *

The call came in just as Cliff was about to head out to train some of his newest recruits, but all three Leaders were becoming interested in Mahjong’s reports and so paused when she appeared on Arlo’s phone screen.

“ _Coming to you live from Vermillion City,_ ” she said softly, before switching the screen to the other view. Two familiar Rocket Grunts were visible, squaring off against two young trainers that were scrambling off the side of a road. “ _Sam and Carrie have challenged the target and hanger-on._ ”

“Damn straight!” Cliff said, immediately grabbing a chair to sit down. “I told you those kids were reliable!”

Sierra said nothing, but Arlo slanted a look at him. “They haven’t done anything impressive yet. They were supposed to capture the pikachu and be done with it.”

“ _Both balls were deflected. It was a lost cause_ ,” Mahjong explained, before switching the sound to the external microphone and zooming in on the battle.

Sam had brought out his sableye, while Carrie had Machop fighting for her. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the boy Mahjong had dismissed as inconsequential was fighting alongside the Ketchum boy, and while Sableye was down in less than a minute, Machop was still exchanging hits with the little white rabbit when Sam brought out his dusclops.

“What is that pokemon?” Arlo muttered, pulling his laptop over to him. “It doesn’t look like a fighting type.”

The screen shifted as Mahjong brought her phone closer to her so she could speak without drawing attention to herself. “ _The kid called it Scorbunny. I think it’s a fire type, but he hasn’t been training it properly._ ”

After a short pause to finish searching, Arlo grunted in recognition. “One of the Galar starters. They’re unusual fire-types… rarely use their internal fire sacs to produce flame, instead relying on friction and speed to develop heat external to their bodies.”

“When you say he hasn’t been training it properly,” Sierra said slowly, “What do you mean? Could it be a candidate for natural shadowing?”

“ _I don’t think so. There’s little friendship, but too much affection. Scorbunny loves the kid_ ,” she reported. “ _But Goh doesn’t exactly go in for hard work. He’s the type that thinks strong pokemon just happen, and that if he catches them, that makes him powerful._ ”

“Shame. I like a pokemon with speed on its side.”

While they had been talking, Pikachu had been running to avoid Dusclops’ Hex, and sprinted right past where Machop had been about to step. That surprise had knocked it off balance enough for Scorbunny to finally land a solid double-kick to Machop’s face, knocking it out.

“Cheap shot!” Cliff shouted, slamming his fist down on the desk. “That wouldn’t have happened if that pikachu hadn’t interfered! Stick to your own battle, rat!”

Arlo rolled his eyes, but Sierra kept her focus on the screen. Carrie returned Machop and sent out her hitmonlee, which appeared with an immediate and elongated punch. Naturally, both Pikachu and Scorbunny were too short for the impressive move to do anything on accident, and it pulled back into stance.

More interesting was the Ketchum boy.

It was very slight. She almost didn’t notice it. He was a physical battler, constantly moving with each called attack, thrusting punches and shifting his stances like he needed to brace against the attacks his pikachu was dodging. But when Hitmonlee appeared, and again when it pulled back after the failed surprise attack, Ketchum balked in a very, very small way. He pulled his shoulders back, his fists coming in closer to his body, and looked over at what wasn’t his opponent. He quickly refocussed, but something had definitely caught his attention.

She leaned forward, resting her elbows on the desk in interest.

The pikachu was strong, that was clear. Unsurprising, given that it had apparently been with the boy since the beginning. Its lack of evolution was noted by Arlo’s research files as a point of curiosity by almost everyone who had ever written about him. But it was the boy himself that was more interesting.

She found herself intrigued by his movements. She’d seen physical battlers before; they all punched and kicked, grasped or pointed at the air, spun and danced. The showy style was becoming more common as globalisation progressed, Sinnoh Contests encouraging trainers of all genders to revel in flair, while Galar’s champion was the poster boy for making everything a stage show.

But although Arlo’s report did point out he had experience in Contests, Ketchum didn’t look like he was performing. His movements weren’t always pretty or cool, and they didn’t flow together like a routine. They were sharp, strong, and even from the poor visuals of the phone recording she could tell there was real muscle tension in each one. Even more curious, the movements were losing focus as the battle continued. He kept shifting, glancing over at Carrie’s pokemon instead of watching his own fight. And each time he did, the pikachu hesitated too.

But despite that, they were focussed enough to use a disturbing strategy that felled Dusclops. A quick attack sent Pikachu directly through Dusclops’ torso, with an immediate thunderbolt was quite literally dead centre. Cliff bolted out of his chair with a furious roar, crying foul, but Sierra ignored him, narrowing her eyes. It was quick—almost too quick to notice—but as Dusclops was returned and Dusknoir appeared, Ketchum visibly choked. He smacked his diaphragm with a closed fist, recovering quickly, and immediately jerked around to order a dodge. But it had definitely happened. She had definitely seen him falter for a moment.

Something was making him struggle.

The other boy was too busy to notice. Hitmonlee had been a powerful fighter even before the Shadowing enhanced it with rage, and it was only Scorbunny’s speed that was keeping it safe. But, to the kid’s credit, he was keeping his cool and staying aware of the limited space in their battlefield. He was taking advantage of the trees, directing Scorbunny to duck around them where necessary, often taking them out of the video’s line of sight. She couldn’t see it, but she could tell from Sam’s occasional shouts of annoyance that the scorbunny was scoring more hits than Hitmonlee. She wasn’t entirely surprised when he took out a pokeball to return it.

“What?” Cliff demanded. “What happened? How did that little punk cheat?”

“Calm down, Cliff,” Arlo said irritably. “Sam’s battle isn’t the important one.”

“Every battle is important!” Cliff snapped. “That brat is a pathetic rookie! No way he could beat any of my grunts! He must have cheated!”

“There is no cheating in a pokemon battle,” he said. “Besides, it was obvious the battle wasn’t going to plan. The terrain isn’t to a fighting-type’s advantage.”

Cliff growled, shoulders hunched and fists clenched, but he didn’t continue. Sierra, again, remained focussed on Ketchum. His reaction wasn’t as powerful this time, but he did still look over when Machoke materialised, and his focus slipped enough that Dusknoir was able to land a Shadow Ball that slammed Pikachu into the dirt with a sizable explosion. He jerked back around, clearly forcing himself to pay attention.

It was strange. Such an experienced and skilled trainer shouldn’t have been so distracted by a pokemon’s appearance. He’d apparently been in multiple tag battles, and it was rumoured that he’d been in larger, uncontrolled battlefields too. It seemed unlikely that someone with that history would react to each new pokemon on a field.

So what was it that was bothering him? It wasn’t that he was keeping an eye on the rookie’s battle. Nor did he seem that concerned by the ghosts. No one who was scared of a ghost-type could pull off a move like the one he’d pulled on Dusclops – it would be too distressing for anyone even slightly squeamish.

Arlo had mentioned the idiot professor had some notes on the boy. Something about Aura, and a sensitivity to pokemon emotion. Could that be it? Was the Shadowing distracting him?

No… Surely it wouldn’t be that simple. Surely.

The scorbunny was down. Machoke had caught it by the ears and slammed it into the nearest tree so hard that the trunk had split down the middle. The rookie was panicking, because he didn’t have any other pokemon to hand, but Ketchum only looked more focussed, and proclaimed two on one was no big deal.

The rookie objected, shouting for him to bring out another pokemon, but it was a waste of breath. Sierra knew Ketchum’s type. The battle had been a tag battle, each trainer only allowed one pokemon at a time. He wouldn’t send out anything else until Pikachu was unable to battle.

Such an honourable little idiot.

An honourable idiot that was easily affected by a pokemon’s emotional state.

She smirked, leaning back in her chair. Even if it turned out Giovanni was right to be cautious of this kid, _they_ had nothing to worry about. He’d be easy to deal with, if it came to that.

Still, she wasn’t surprised by the outcome. Ketchum was vicious in his creativity. After shooting off an electroweb that seemed to miss both pokemon, Pikachu was ordered to Quick Attack through Dusknoir. But this time, it wasn’t just to get in position for a devastating thunderbolt. It was a distraction. It hid the fact Pikachu was only building up momentum, rebounding off a tree to level a speed-powered iron tail directly at Machoke’s head, sending it rocketing into the supposedly abandoned electroweb. It was practically three attacks in one move. Machoke never stood a chance.

Cliff threw his chair clear across the room. “That was _cheap_! How dare that little punk –!”

The last shot was a thunderbolt. Simple, clean, and ridiculously overpowered. Dusknoir collected Carrie in the blast and they both went flying off screen.

“ _No_!” Cliff screamed, and Sierra quickly stood up.

“Mahjong, tell Sam to get out of there. Leave any pokemon still on the field.”

“ _Ash will take them,_ ” she warned, and Sierra tsked.

“Of course he will. Once the grunts are out, I want you to stay and watch. Record what the kid does with them.”

She hesitated, but the next sound they heard was a multi-note whistle, and Sam looked back toward the camera before inclining his head with a snarl. He snapped something at Ketchum before running off in the direction Carrie and Dusknoir had been sent.

Both Ketchum and the rookie paused for a moment, clearly checking the fight was over, before Ketchum ran for his pikachu. The screen jostled as Mahjong moved, creeping closer to the battlefield.

“ _Good work, buddy. You okay?_ ”

Pikachu replied, and Ketchum shook his head.

“ _It’s nothing. Goh, how about you?_ ”

“ _I’m just worried about Scorbunny,_ ” the rookie said, lifting his pokeball close to his chest. “ _And I’m starting to understand what you mean about Team Rocket. They really are different than those other guys._ ”

Ketchum grimaced, turning his attention first to Machoke and then Sableye. Sierra had almost forgotten it, but Mahjong got a clear shot of it, still sprawled off to the side, its gemstone eyes glittering through the shade.

“ _I’m calling Professor Cerise,_ ” the rookie said, digging around in his pocket, and Ketchum jerked back to face him.

“ _What? Why?_ ”

“ _We should take these two back to the Institute._ Before _you do your memory thing_. _That way, the professor can do some scans, and maybe figure out what’s going on,_ ” he said. “ _But no way we can carry that machoke back up the hill, and Sableye’ll definitely wake up before we get there! If the Professor’s going to figure this out, we need to act fast._ ”

Ketchum didn’t look happy about it, but he didn’t say anything either, rubbing the back of his neck. While the rookie made his call, Ketchum and Pikachu looked around the field, and when he seemed to notice something, Mahjong directed the camera to follow his gaze again. He’d found a broken Shadow Ball.

“Tch. Those fools just left it there?” Arlo growled, and Cliff glared at him.

“Don’t insult my grunts! What do you expect them to do, stop a battle just to pick up trash?”

Arlo snarled, smacking his hand against the desk. “Don’t you understand what’s happening right now? That boy is taking our Shadowed Pokemon for study, _and_ a Dark Ball! They’re taking everything!” He spun back toward the screen, teeth bared. “Mahjong, you cannot allow that naïve fool Cerise to keep any data he uncovers, do you understand me? You must retrieve that ball, and wipe every piece of equipment in that joke of an institute _tonight_.”

Unable to verbally respond, Mahjong just lifted a thumbs up into view before redirecting the camera at Ketchum’s face. Still fuming but accepting the outcome, Arlo sank back in his chair, and Cliff turned away, cracking his knuckles.

“I’m sick of this kid,” he said darkly. “Bullying my grunts away from their work. Treating them like they’re some kind of joke… I won’t stand for it.”

Sierra slanted her eyes toward him, and then back to Arlo. Both men were breathing hard, furious with everything they’d seen. Always so _reactive_. She rolled her eyes and lifted her hands for attention. “Gentlemen, I know you both struggle with big pictures, but let us take a moment and step back, shall we? This is nothing to be concerned about.”

“He’s humiliating my people!” barked Cliff, and Arlo glowered.

“He’s going to uncover _everything_.”

“He’s one boy,” she reminded them. “Why are you so concerned? He can be punished for his interference, same as any other trainer.”

That did calm Cliff slightly, and he folded his arms, biceps bulging with tension. “I _will_ take revenge.”

“I’m sure you will,” she said blandly, barely glancing at him as she focussed on Arlo. “As for this Cerise, what problem is that? Mahjong is very good at her job, as we have already seen with her work in identifying this little irritant of Giovanni’s. Even if Cerise discovers something useful, Mahjong will ensure he won’t keep it.”

Arlo’s eye twitched. “He’ll _know_. He might reverse engineer my designs.”

“Then we’ll punish him too,” she said. “Cerise is vulnerable. He’s arrogant, he has his institute that he’s so proud of, and he has a _family_. If push comes to shove, we have more than enough to keep him out of our way. This is _not_ a problem.”

Arlo sneered, returning his glare to the screen, where Ketchum was gingerly touching the inside of the Dark Ball like he could figure out the technology by touch. “I don’t like anomalies. There’s too much about that boy we don’t know.”

“Fine. Do your research. Join Cliff in some ill-conceived revenge plot, do what makes you happy,” she said, folding her arms over her waist. “But don’t forget that this boy has been on Giovanni’s radar for years. He’s let two of what were promising agents fall to ruin just to keep tabs on him. There must be a reason for that.”

Both he and Cliff looked at her, clearly not seeing her point. She looked down her nose at Arlo, and then tilted her head to scowl at Cliff from under her brow instead. “Our mission is to create an army of Shadow Pokemon to enable Giovanni’s revolution. The three of us will gather a force of Shadowed Pokemon trained by the Gym Leaders and become his triad of power. That is our goal. Do not get distracted by one soft little hero that Giovanni has _allowed_ to run wild.”

Cliff blinked, but Arlo sneered. “And why has he? What makes this brat so interesting to your dear leader?”

“I don’t know, and I don’t care,” she said. “Find out if you want to know so badly, but I’ve said it before and I will say it again: I will not stand by anyone who gets in the way of my mission. I will happily rule as Giovanni’s sole right hand if I need to. I will _make_ myself that sole right hand if you compromise us.”

He gazed at her stoically for a moment, then turned his attention back to the screen. “You say that like I expect something else.”

She looked back to Cliff expectantly, but he didn’t meet her gaze, just inclined his head in acknowledgement. They all had their reasons for what they were doing, and they all knew where they stood. Sierra looked back up at the screen; at Ketchum’s expression. He was worried, scared, and trying so hard not to show it. She smirked triumphantly.

Clearly, he knew his emotions were a risk.

That wasn’t going to stop her taking advantage of them.


	14. It's Bad Times (but we know better)

“Galar?”

“A region to the west of Kalos,” Matori said, arching an eyebrow over her glasses. “Surely even you’ve heard of it?”

Jessie flushed red, but James jumped in before she could explode. “O-oh, yes! Of course we have! We’re just a little surprised! It isn’t a region Team Rocket has expanded into yet, so we weren’t expecting to be sent there!”

Matori sneered and adjusted her glasses. “Well, despite your failures in the Alola region—”

“ _Failures?_!” Jessie shrieked, and James winced, because they both knew they hadn’t really accomplished much in Alola. Not that they could be blamed – Alola had been strange at best. And Giovanni seemed to understand that, because aside from Matori’s sneering remarks, absolutely no comment had been made of them returning empty handed.

“—you are still advance scouts,” she continued, ignoring the outburst. “As you are no doubt aware, Galar has reports of pokemon growing to enormous sizes. Giovanni would like to know more about the phenomenon.”

James looked over Matori’s shoulder to where Giovanni was seated on his usual chaise. He was always in shadow, barely visible and mostly out of focus, but he rarely missed one of their check-ins. Sometimes James wondered why he’d brought in Matori as his voice, since he always made such a point of being present at their briefings. They were still of interest to the boss, so why the middle-man?

“There will be a jet leaving from Viridian City in two days. I suggest you catch it,” said middle-man drawled lazily, drawing his attention back to the conversation with the unusually generous warning.

“Two days?” he repeated, and Jessie scoffed.

“What, don’t need to see us scramble to catch something in an hour? What’s the matter, couldn’t find a reason to see us struggle today?” she said, and Matori narrowed her eyes but didn’t respond, something even Jessie noticed. She set her hand on her hip, raising her own eyebrow in response. “What? Is there some _reason_ for this extraordinary kindness? I hope you don’t expect us to thank you.”

Matori’s lip curled again, but this time her eyes shifted off to the wide, as if glancing back at Giovanni in annoyance. But she didn’t actually turn or let the boss see, instead taking a deep breath and returning to them with a particularly nasty look. “I simply do not want another failure in your long string of ‘accomplishments’. You should take the extra time to prepare so you don’t disappoint us _again_ ,” she said, but continued before Jessie could react. “ _And_ , since you’ve had so much free time lately, we did assume you’d found something productive to do. Not even the three of you can waste _all_ your time.”

James made sure to keep his face extremely still. He’d been working through as much of Mahjong’s mission code as he could crack. He was almost finished.

But judging by Matori’s expression, she didn’t know what he’d been up to and it infuriated her. She added, even more coldly, “As always, the three of you have special dispensation to devote to personal initiatives. I can only hope you’re not wasting any of Team Rocket’s time and energy chasing down useless rodents, the way you usually do.”

“You arrogant little –” Jessie began, but Matori closed her eyes and turned away, visibly uninterested.

“I expect you can find out the details of your flight on your own. I know it will be hard, but try not to screw this one up.”

“And just how many –!” Jessie began shouting, but the call cut to black before she could really kick off. She stared uselessly at the space the holographic screen had been before throwing arms and legs in all directions and spinning away. “That spineless little toad! As if she can talk! She has no idea what it’s like out in the field! And she’s accusing _us_ of wasting time? I’d like to see her run any sort of operation with her own hands, that scheming little – Argh! I can’t stand that witch!”

James shrugged philosophically and left her to her rant, instead turning back to where Meowth and Wobbuffet had been watching from the couch. “Well, at least we have a little warning this time. You’ll need to find some disguises.”

“Yeah, sure,” Meowth agreed. “But what was that about personal initiatives? Y’don’t t’ink Matori knows we took that data, do ya?”

“That snivelling toad doesn’t know anything!” Jessie snapped, and then grinned evilly. “Did you see that look on her scrunched up face? She’s being kept out of the loop!” She raised her hands, wriggling fingers tickling her cheeks. “She knows it and she hates it! It’s so delicious!”

James grinned, enjoying the turnabout, but he did have to remind them, “Just because Matori doesn’t know something doesn’t mean the same of Giovanni.”

Broken out of her glee for the moment, Jessie lowered her hands to give him a direct look. “So you think that might have been a hint to look into this infiltration nonsense?”

“Who knows? Honestly, with how Giovanni’s been giving us orders lately, it could be that, or he could be expecting us to go after Pikachu.” James sighed and set his weight back on his hips, longing for the days when their orders were just ‘catch pokemon and send them back to headquarters’. Things seemed so simple back then. “But since I’ve almost cracked the final level of encryption, I would like to finish the job. For completion and all that.”

Jessie nodded, shifting her weight onto one hip as she asked, “And what have you found out? Is someone trying to move in on our pikachu-grab fest?”

“Not likely,” he said. “If anything, it seems like a fairly standard exploratory venture.”

“Exploratory?” Meowth repeated, and he shrugged.

“It’s just another version of the same scheme,” he explained. “They have a new research initiative that they believe will serve Giovanni’s pokemon army. I’m not sure what it is yet, but they’re testing to see whether it will work in the field.”

“And da twerp factors into this ’cause…?” Meowth prompted, but it was Jessie to scoff.

“Because anyone with half a brain knows he’s been getting in our way for years and will do the same thing for anyone’s evil scheme!” she cried. “It’s completely unfair! Master criminals can’t run a single honest con in the same region as that brat without having everything blow up in their face! Margarine may be an arrogant little brat herself, but she’s not stupid. She’d know to make sure he’s out of the way.”

James raised his eyebrows and pursed his lips, because she wasn’t _entirely_ wrong, but she wasn’t right, either. He wasn’t convinced anyone actually knew how much of a pain the twerp was, but an advanced agent like Mahjong _was_ likely to know all the details of every failed plan Giovanni had invested time into. If nothing else, she’d know Ash had been involved in Unova, and what a mess it had ended up. That would make him a person of interest to anyone operating in the same region as him.

“The real question is how we get in on all this if it’s actually worth our time,” Jessie continued. “I remember Sierra. She doesn’t just take any chance available to her. If we’re due to fly to Galar in two days, then we don’t have time to go down to Pallet and ingratiate ourselves into service.”

“No way,” agreed Meowth. “’Specially not when we gotta prep. I ain’t never been to Galar before. We’s gotta brush up on da local lingo and looks!”

“Wobba!” Wobbuffet yelped, patting its cheeks as if already applying makeup. “Wo-wobbuffet wobba!”

“I t’ink you can go wit’out it,” Meowth drawled, before turning back to the humans. “But I’d still like to figure it all out.”

“Naturally. I’ll need at least twenty-four hours to learn about all the latest Galar fashions,” Jessie said, and she nodded to James. “So it’s a plan then. You finish all your computer nonsense to figure out what’s going on with Margarine and the elite creeps, and Meowth, Wobbuffet, and I will prep for Galar. But you better not hold out if you find any juicy gossip, you hear?”

“As if I ever would,” he said with a wink, and they all grinned before turning toward their separate tasks. Team Rocket was on the case!

* * *

He curved his hand over the strange, rubbery skin of Sableye’s head, slowly breathing through the unfamiliar sensations making themselves known to his mind.

Dark and c’linty and cool and lonely and sparkle-sparkle-shine broken by nasty bright no time _pain_. Pain, bright light, nasty pokemon, fight, pain, more pain, make pain, _make_ the pain!

Ash pulled his hand back just before Sableye could snap at his wrist, and then blinked.

“C’linty?” He tilted his head, hearing the word out loud. “C’linty.”

That way that gemstones looked, how you just knew they would sound if they rocked against the ground. Not a clunk, not a scrape, just a… c’lint. Heavy but kind of fragile and yet somehow sharp. He bet, to a pokemon that liked to eat rocks and stones, they’d look like they’d sound like they’d taste _delicious_.

“C’linty,” he repeated, smiling at Sableye, and it cocked its head right back at him, baring its teeth in something slightly less threatening.

“Sssable…” it hissed.

“Sorry we don’t have anything c’linty to eat,” he said, pushing his hands down between his folded legs, shoulders hunched up around his ears. “Our pokemon prefer pokechow and berries. D’you wanna try some? I bet you’ll like ’em!”

Sableye cocked its head the other way, its sharp claws flexing. Ash could feel not only Pikachu, but Goh and all the research team tensing up behind him, ready to either intervene or drag him away, but he ignored them. He wasn’t really familiar with sableye, and he was having trouble seeing anything but his own reflection in the gemstone eyes. It made him wish he was better at understanding pokemon that he didn’t know.

“I don’t get the feeling you ever had a trainer, huh? You lived on your own before, right?” he asked. “I’ve never lived on my own. I’ve always had either Pikachu or my mom. It seems kinda lonely.”

It jerked its head back, then straightened, claws tapping against each other with quiet tinkling noises. It seemed to consider the question before hunching down again with a breathy, wordless sound. Sableye didn’t understand loneliness.

It was kind of strange to realise.

“I don’t know how I’d feel if I didn’t know what loneliness was. It sounds really nice, but at the same time…” Ash leaned back himself, lowering his shoulders as he contemplated that idea. “I only really know what loneliness is ’cause I know what it’s like to be surrounded by my friends. So if I didn’t know… that’d be kinda sad, wouldn’t it?”

Hearing Goh shifting behind him, Ash smiled to himself, thinking about when they toasted the new research team, long train rides, and everything that had happened in such a short time. Just a few weeks, and he already had such a great group of work friends. “I guess that’s the good thing about bad stuff, huh? You only know they’re bad because you know what it is to be good.” He hesitated, then cautiously lifted his hand to reach for Sableye again. Those teeth were _sharp_. “That’s how you know it hurts. Because you remember when it didn’t. When you could crawl through caves, and make tunnels, and you found shiny stuff to eat? Remember?”

“Still recording?” he heard Professor Cerise mumble, and Chrysa hummed an affirmative. He ignored them both.

Sableye was slowly tilting its head back and forth, claws curling through the air, but Ash wasn’t really worried as he slowly cupped his hand over Sableye’s shoulder. It was just listening, letting his words travel through its mind, thinking about each mental image. C’linty shiny sparkles so good munch munch yes. Cool dark tunnels make it easy to find the shiny. No pain down in the tunnels. No nasty bright lights. No nasty mean humans.

Something strange was happening in those glassy red eyes. It was weird. It looked like they were getting deeper. Deeper, and stronger, and he realised he could see Sableye looking back at him now. He grinned.

“I dunno where you come from, but I bet we can find it! It’d be Hoenn somewhere, right? Do you remember?”

The red in its eyes swirled as Sableye considered the question, gaining wisps of blue as it calmed down. “Sable. Sable sableye?”

“Or you could stay here,” he suggested. “My friend Goh is trying to catch every pokemon in the world, so –”

“Ash!” Goh objected, and Ash glanced back at him. He was staring back with slightly wide eyes, and held up his hands like he needed to guard against something. It took Ash a second to remember he wasn’t supposed to be just telling everyone Goh’s goals.

“Oh, right. Sorry,” he said with a wince, and turned back to Sableye. “Or I bet you could just stay here. I’m sure Professor Cerise wouldn’t mind! We have loads of room.”

Sableye’s gems were almost back to their normal dull blue, but it reared back with another hiss. “Sssableye.”

Ash shrugged philosophically. “Figured it was worth the offer,” he said. “D’you wanna just find your own way home?”

“Sable,” it confirmed, and he nodded. He didn’t get it, but he knew some people liked to be on their own.

“Okay. But it’d still be cool if you stuck around for a while. Try some pokechow and berries! And I think Professor Cerise would like to ask you some stuff, but I promise no one’ll try and catch you,” he said, shifting his hand back down to brace between his knees again. “Would that be okay?”

It bared its teeth and claws again, but pulled back with a grin and nodded. As long as it was allowed to leave eventually, it was happy to waste a little time in gratitude. And who knew? Maybe it would like berries!

“Incredible,” Ren murmured. “The readings are completely back to normal!”

“Truly fascinating,” agreed Professor Cerise.

Pikachu bounded over to Ash’s hip, where it could assess the situation properly. It glanced up at Ash, then moved around his leg to sniff at Sableye, who snickered and poked out a claw. After a few seconds to consider, Pikachu apparently decided it was fine and greeted it properly. Soon they were chatting like new friends, and Ash decided to leave them to it. He pushed himself to his feet and turned around to face everyone else.

“See?” he said. “They just need someone to help calm them down, you know?”

Goh folded his arms, while the adults exchanged looks varying from amazement to concern. They all peered down at Chrysa’s tablet, then back around at each other, before coming back to Ash.

“What?” he asked, and Professor Cerise sighed through his smile.

“It’s remarkable, but I can’t actually disagree with your statement. I’m not sure I understand how, though,” he said. “When you brought it in, Sableye was in such a heightened state. Its power readings were completely different to what they are now.”

“Heightened state?” Goh repeated, and Chrysa turned the tablet to show him.

“Much higher attack and defensive energy ratings. Compare that to what we’re seeing now,” she said, pointing to another point on the screen, “This kind of variance can usually only be attributed to mineral-aided special abilities such as mega-evolution. But this sableye exhibited none of the traits associated with Mega Sableye except the red eyes. Which, from what you’ve told us, is more likely to be a coincidence.”

“Not to mention that its special attack rating remained pretty stagnant,” Ren added. “Mega-evolution usually raises special attack power to insane degrees, so it’s totally different!”

Ash set his hands on his hips, trying not to be impatient with the discussion. He knew it was important to understand what the shadowing did, and understanding was the first step to figuring out how to fix it, but he really wished they could just move on to the fixing it part already. Not to mention they still hadn’t helped Machoke, who was back in the study hall being guarded by Dragonite, Yamper, and Francois.

“Ash, you said it doesn’t feel anything like mega-evolution, correct?” Professor Cerise prompted. “You said it’s more like there’s a kind of emotional block?”

“Something that stops all the good stuff, yeah,” he said. “So it’s all angry and painful.”

“An artificial state of heightened aggression,” he said. “It makes an elegant kind of sense.”

Chrysa’s eyebrow twitched. “Elegant?”

“What do you mean, it makes sense?” asked Goh.

His lips curled in a tight, unamused smile. “Even humans are capable of great physical feats when our adrenaline rises. There are—admittedly not substantiated—claims of physically weak people being able to lift cars alone or leap incredible distances when they or someone they care about is under duress. And there have been scientific studies that prove the theory to an extent,” he said. “It makes sense that pokemon would have a similar response. By placing them in a constant state of heightened distress through aggression or pain, or indeed both, it would follow that they would be able to output far greater physical feats. And, if anything, I would expect a lower level of special ability, as it’s been identified that special attacks require focus and training to perfect. Focus that wouldn’t be possible when the pokemon was distracted by pain and anger.”

Ash’s fingers started drumming against his hip. He didn’t really get it, but he could follow the theory. He still didn’t know how it helped. “So they’re upset so they can hit harder, but they can’t think right?”

“To oversimplify it… yes.”

“So then Ash is right,” Goh said. “They just need to be calmed down and they go back to normal?”

“To oversimplify it,” he repeated, and turned back at Ash. “But since the aggression is artificial, and doesn’t seem to just go away with time, the question is _how_ Ash can calm them down. How are you overcoming the artificial imbalance?”

“Maybe anyone could,” Ash pointed out. “I’m not doin’ anything special.”

“Not everyone is willing to get their arm bitten off by an angry sableye,” Goh pointed out dryly. “That probably helps.”

“Not to mention that you’ve said that when you touch them, you can see some of their memories,” Professor Cerise reminded him. “We all helped lift Machoke earlier, and none of us experienced anything like that.”

“Yeah, but that’s… I mean…” Ash made a face. “I mean, it makes calming them down easier, since you kinda know what matters to ’em, but it’s not like –”

“Maybe we should try calming them down in other ways,” Ren suggested excitedly. “We still have Machoke! Let’s bring it in here and try to calm it down! I’ve heard my singing can be very relaxing!”

Chrysa looked at him sideways, but Professor Cerise carried on without comment. “While I can’t immediately agree with your theory, Ash, you are correct in that we haven’t tried all avenues. I say that time hasn’t yet proven effective, but we don’t know that. We have only given pokemon at most little more than an hour. That’s hardly a verifiable test. Perhaps we should see if time does indeed weaken the Shadow Ball’s hold.”

“How much time?” asked Goh. “It seems kind of cruel to leave Machoke in pain like that…”

“Yes, but if it proves effective, then we have a clear solution that can be implemented in a large group,” he pointed out. “That’s essentially the same as finding a cure.”

“And if it doesn’t work out, then we should try other methods! Ooh, maybe some calming incense will help!” Ren added, and then leaned a little closer to Ash. “Do you wear any kind of cologne? Maybe sandalwood? I’m going to be honest, here, Ash, the only smell I get off you is dirt and ozone. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that in an incense stick. Do you wear deodorant?”

While Ash and Chrysa both stared at him, Goh went back to Professor Cerise. “So how long do you want to wait?”

“I’m not sure. We both know how long it can take Chloe to calm down when she’s in a mood, and I agree that it could be considered cruel to leave Machoke in the Shadowed state for an extended period,” he said thoughtfully. “To be honest, I’m not sure I’m entirely comfortable with an ad hoc experiment like this. I say we give it the rest of the day and re-evaluate in the evening.”

Ash pulled himself away from Ren’s excited grin to frown at the professor. “So you just want to _leave_ Machoke like that?”

“It’s not ideal,” he admitted. “But we do have to try all avenues available to us. Without a wider resource pool we will have to be cautious in how we approach our research. Time and patience are both low-risk tests.”

“But –”

“It’s only for a few hours, Ash,” Goh pointed out. “And it’s not like we’re leaving Machoke to deal with it alone. It’s gotta be monitored the whole time, right Professor?”

“Of course,” he said, and took the tablet Chrysa was still holding to tap at it. “I’m going to set this to monitor the band we put on Machoke earlier, but it would be better if one of us was always watching it. Energy isn’t the only indicator we need to keep an eye on.”

“But we’ll still be keeping it guarded?” Chrysa asked, glancing at him. “We’re not going to take unnecessary risks, I imagine.”

“Absolutely no risks. We will also be monitoring Machoke in pairs for further safety,” he agreed. “Ash, Ren, you don’t mind your pokemon remaining as guards for the short term, do you?”

“Francois will always help with our research!” Ren confirmed, and Ash nodded.

“As long as Dragonite’s okay with it.”

“Well then,” Professor Cerise smiled back down at Goh. “Why don’t you and I take the first shift together, then? I can show you some of the data I’d like to investigate.”

He blinked, then grinned and pumped his fists. “Yeah, that’d be great, Professor! I’m really curious to know what’s happening with these pokemon!”

“While you do that, I’m going to look into some of the things that have previously been known to calm rampaging pokemon!” Ren announced. “Maybe I can find some commonalities that can help!”

“And as for us,” Chrysa said, stepping forward to join Ash on the research floor, “you said something about getting Sableye some food earlier. Why don’t you and I go and do that?”

He hesitated. He did want to make sure Sableye was okay, but…

“After you check in with Dragonite, I mean,” she added, and he smiled, feeling his shoulders relax.

“Thanks, Chrysa.”

They went with Goh and Professor Cerise to the study hall, and as probably should have been expected, Dragonite’s only problem was that they wouldn’t let it hug Machoke until it felt better. Professor Cerise promised that could be one of their alternative relaxation options if time didn’t prove effective, and Dragonite compromised by giving Ash, Pikachu, and Sableye a massive group hug instead before sending them on their way.

In the cafeteria, Chrysa helped Ash pour out a massive bowl of pokechow and select the right berries for Sableye to try. She even revealed a ‘secret stash’ of rare berries and tossed a few roseli berries into the mix.

“They’re supposed to protect against fairy-type moves,” she explained as she held one out to Sableye. “Some people believe that’s reason enough for Dark Types to like them.”

“Really?” Ash picked one up, considering it from all angles before popping it into his mouth for a taste. It was pretty tart, but with that same weird, flowery taste some of the less common berries had. Like the pink tea Bonnie and Serena used to order sometimes. “I dunno, it doesn’t taste that good to me. What do you think, Pikachu?”

Pikachu made a face but took the berry for careful tasting. It nibbled a few bites, then ate the whole thing, lifting one paw in a non-committal shrug. “Pika-chu.”

“I’m not surprised you don’t really have an opinion,” Chrysa told it. “Electric types aren’t really strong or weak against Fairy types.”

But while Sableye didn’t seem to think much of any of the food they gave it, it definitely seemed to like the roseli berries more than they did. They decided it probably just preferred rocks, which was fair enough but not something they could help with.

“Though I’m pretty sure I’ve got some of my mother’s old necklaces at home I wouldn’t mind it eating!” Chrysa said playfully. “That might be one way to get rid of those tacky jewels!”

Ash chuckled. “D’you think cheap jewellery would taste bad?”

“Oh, I’m sure Sableye has better taste than my mother, at any rate,” she said with a wink. “Feeding those baubles to even a muk is probably pokemon cruelty!”

He snickered, and they both settled back to watch Pikachu and Sableye share the pokechow, chattering away as pokemon did. Chrysa’s smile slowly faded, and after a minute she said, “It’s a shame we can’t help them more. I don’t mean to doubt you, but I truly hope you’re wrong about the shadowing being painful.”

“Me too,” Ash said. “No one should have to feel like that.”

“I just can’t imagine why anyone would think it was justified,” she said. “Causing pokemon so much pain and suffering… just to make them a little bit stronger… how could that ever be worth it?”

“Professor Cerise said something about how…” He made a face, trying to remember the words. “War makes us all bad people. I know what he means, and I know a lot of people are like that, but…”

She glanced at him, and he grimaced, lowering his eyes to the ground. “I know there’s lots of bad people in the world, and that it’s important to fight for what you believe in. But I don’t want to believe that I’d become a bad person to do good things, you know?”

“I suppose the question is whether you realise what you’re doing is a bad thing,” she said. “But I can’t imagine ever thinking hurting a pokemon is the right thing… except here we are, leaving a pokemon in pain, just to see how long that pain will last…” She took a deep breath, glancing up at the ceiling and then turning back to Ash with sad eyes. “We’re doing it in the hope that we’ll find a solution, but at the same time, we have a solution available, it’s just not a long term one. So it should be the right thing to do, but it’s still a terrible thing to do. I’m not sure how I feel about it.”

He hesitated, shuffling his feet a little. He didn’t know either.

“If it turns out this is a big problem – if there are lots of pokemon that Team Rocket have done this to, then there’s no way you can save them all alone,” Chrysa continued softly. “But right now, here, it’s just one pokemon. And you’re here. So… do we fix this one problem quickly now, or take the long view? I don’t know which is right.”

He shrugged, scuffing the toe of his shoe against the floor. “Professor Cerise seems to think it’s better I don’t fix Machoke until we know there isn’t any other way.”

“Right now, he does…”

He looked up, and Chrysa flinched, lifting a hand to her mouth. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.”

“Why not?” he asked, and she winced.

“It… I mean, I just… I…” She hesitated, then sighed and dropped back against the counter, hands falling to fold in her lap. “The truth is, sometimes I’m not very clear on what we’re doing here at the Institute.”

“What we’re doing?” he repeated, frowning. “We’re researching pokemon, right? Uncovering all the mysteries about the world of pokemon?”

“Yes, but… why?” she asked. “What are we going to do when we’ve done that?”

He blinked, not following, and she sighed again. “Since you joined us, you have been revealing some incredible things about the world, and the way humans and pokemon interconnect. But when you finally uncovered something amazing—something we could actually report on and release to the world—Professor Cerise decided not to. Because he thought the information would be too dangerous,” she said softly. “Dragonite Island is a mystery, but that mystery is also a real danger. People have lost their lives because they’ve gone too close to the storm the dragonair create with their Dragon Dances. And yet we aren’t telling anyone the cause, because people might try to catch the dragonite.”

Ash slowly nodded. He hadn’t really thought about people like the sailor they’d originally heard about the island from. But that also hadn’t really been what Professor Cerise said. “He also said the mystery made Dragonite more exciting.”

“He did say that. But I’m not sure a mystery matters to me as much as human life,” she said. “But he’s not wrong, either. If people knew Dragonite Island was just an island full of rare pokemon, they’d all want to go there. And the dragons deserve to live in peace.”

“Yeah,” Ash agreed, even as his frown deepened. “That’s kinda what Goh said, too.”

But… did it really make a difference?

He’d seen a lot of incredible stuff on his journey. Amazing pokemon, beautiful places, even other worlds. Some of them were quiet secrets, like Dragonite Island, and some of them were huge, bustling places, like the bright lights and excitement of Unova’s biggest cities. With a couple of exceptions, like Mewtwo, he’d never tried to keep anything secret, and there were some things he was still shocked weren’t common knowledge. Why weren’t Z-moves everywhere? Why had mega-evolution suddenly become so popular, when it was this really closely guarded secret only a couple of years ago? And why didn’t anyone seem to know what Lysandre had tried to do with mega-evolution energy? Why hadn’t anyone done something similar?

For a long time, he’d just figured the world of pokemon was so incredible, and so full of interesting things, that it was just natural for some things to be unknown. It was so hard to know the difference between legends and real life sometimes that he could totally get why people would just assume everything was a story.

But even if truth was just a story to some people… did that even matter?

Team Galactic had just been going after a story, and Cyrus had crossed worlds. Team Aqua and Team Magma had this huge rivalry based on an old legend no one else believed in. They’d all just been chasing down crazy stories of legendaries, unless you knew the truth.

He’d met Palkia and Dialga. He’d been there to see Groudon and Kyogre battle over land and sea. He knew the things Arceus had done in righteous fury, even though the people of Sinnoh weren’t completely sure Arceus was anything but a creation myth.

He’d chased down a few stories himself, just because they sounded cool.

Heck, if Mewtwo was right, he _was_ a few stories. He wondered if there were any pokemon out there trying to track _him_ down like some mythical creature.

It was kind of funny to think about.

“I dunno if it matters,” he said finally. “Me and Goh did it for research, but I know a lot of Pokemon Trainers who would’ve gone riding right into the storms if they’d heard a dragonite would show up in the middle of one. I don’t really think Team Rocket followed us to find them, so they knew about it too.”

Chrysa glanced at him, but he kept his eyes on his shoes, thinking it through even as he spoke. “Tell everyone the truth, or just let it be rumours, people’re gonna do what they want to do, you know? You can’t control how people’re gonna react to stuff. Just what you do when they do, I guess.”

She hummed non-committedly. “But what if people do the wrong thing because you told the truth?”

“I dunno,” he said. “Try and fix it, I guess.”

She continued watching him thoughtfully, but eventually hummed again and looked away. “I wonder what we’ll do when we learn how the Shadow Balls work.”

“The Shadow Balls?” he repeated, finally lifting his head again. “What d’you mean? We’re gonna figure out how to stop them and ruin Team Rocket’s plans!”

“But we’ll also know how the Shadow Balls work. We might even learn how they’re made,” she pointed out. “What if someone finds our research? They might copy it, or make their own version. So it would be best to forget it, and delete everything. But, on the other hand, if we give that research to the proper authorities, they will be able to recognise it, and find ways to stop people from abusing pokemon through Shadowing, or if someone else does something similar.” She furrowed her brow, staring into the middle distance. “I wonder whether Professor Cerise will believe that to be worth the risk of releasing the information.”

Not really following the new hypothetical, Ash winced and tried to catch up. “It’s gotta be, right? Bad guys are already using it, so any information we can give people to stop it is good, right?”

“But what if the good people _can’t_ stop it?” she asked. “What if it really is some special ability of yours that allows you to calm the Shadowed Pokemon? Then we’re just making dangerous information available to more people. If anything, we’re just putting you in danger, because people might realise you’re the only one who can stop them! What then?”

“Um… I guess, then… uh…” He grimaced, never comfortable with these kinds of questions. He was trying to get better, more honest, but… what was he supposed to say to stuff like that?

“I’m not expecting you to have the answer, Ash,” she said gently, glancing at him with a tiny smile. “I’m just wondering what Professor Cerise will do. I’m just… not sure what I’ll think, no matter which one he does.”

He opened his mouth, and then realised he still didn’t know what to say and so closed it again. He looked over at Pikachu, and Sableye, and then thought back to Machoke. Cubone. Politoed, _Celebi_ … all those pokemon back in Kalos, caught up in that weird negative mega evolution… Every other pokemon he’d ever seen corrupted by horrible people doing things they shouldn’t. For no good reason other than people being cruel and selfish.

He didn’t care how they figured out how to do what they did. He wanted to stop it.

“You know what?” He pushed off the counter and turned to face Chrysa properly, lifting one clenched fist in front of his chest. “It doesn’t matter what Professor Cerise decides to do. It doesn’t matter what anyone does about any of this. If there are pokemon getting hurt, and I can do something about it, then I’m gonna do something about it.”

Chrysa raised her eyebrows silently, and he nodded.

“If I’m the only one who can do anything for the Shadowed Pokemon, then I’m gonna do that. I don’t care if it’s just Team Rocket, or if a hundred other people learn how to do it. I don’t care if it takes me a million years to save every pokemon they hurt! I’m still gonna do what I can,” he said firmly. “If other people know how to help, then awesome. I’ll still be right there helping out. No matter who it is, or how they found out how to do it. Because I don’t want anyone to feel like Machoke does right now. And so I’ll do what I can to stop it.”

She smiled slightly, but it quickly faded, and she asked, “So then… why are you letting Professor Cerise experiment? Why not just go help Machoke now?”

He blinked, but then winced around a smile, and had to admit, “Just because I have a way to do something, that doesn’t make it the best way, right? Right now, all I can do is battle Team Rocket, and even if I win every time, I can only take one pokemon for each battle. That’s pretty slow,” he pointed out. “If that’s what it takes, then that’s what I’ll do. But if Professor Cerise can figure out something better, then that’s what we should do, right?”

“I suppose so,” she said softly, and then tilted her head with a smile. “You know, you’re very wise for your age, Ash.”

He laughed, lifting his hand to the back of his head. “Nah… I’m just figurin’ stuff out as I go.”

“I suppose we all are. I think I forget that sometimes,” she said, before looking past him to Pikachu and Sableye. “In the meantime, it looks like our friends have finished their meal. Which means it might be time for me to do what _I_ can do. Sableye, I’d like to have a quick look at you with some of my machines. Would that be alright? I promise it won’t hurt at all.”

As Sableye hissed and considered the proposition, Ash turned to look back in the direction of the study hall, where Professor Cerise was probably studying the Shadowed Machoke.

Something about everything they’d just talked about was bugging him.

He was pretty sure it wasn’t really about the shadowed pokemon, or what Professor Cerise decided to do with the stuff they figured out, but something about the conversation was nagging at the back of his head. Something about it felt like something he should have more answers to by now.

Hopefully he could figure it out before it became a problem…


	15. When it's just (not) that simple

To say his notes on shadowing were sparse was something of an understatement, and Cerise stared at them quietly, hand on his chin, as the silence stretched around him.

It wasn’t something to feel guilty about. Today was the first time he’d been able to see a Shadowed Pokemon, let alone study it. And while Ash was certainly earnest in his descriptions, it was difficult to garner a great deal of data from someone relying on remembered empathy. Today’s readings were the only concrete data they had, and until they cured Machoke, Cerise didn’t really even have what you might call a hypothesis. Sableye’s power levels had dropped once Ash had ‘calmed it down’, but without more data there was no way to know if it was a uniform change or percentage or completely random. Even Machoke being healed would only give them a single extra data point. It wouldn’t be informative.

And yet Goh had told him how disappointed Ash was at their lack of progress. It had been a surprising thing to learn – from all his conversations with Ash, Cerise had never realised the boy was thinking about this Team Rocket mess except when it was actively happening in front of him. He was always just focussed on whatever situation he and Goh were tasked with. That was one of the reasons Cerise hadn’t really prioritised the Shadowing as an avenue of research – it didn’t seem that important, and wasn’t nearly as interesting as a boy who could all but instantly connect on an almost spiritual level with every pokemon he met.

“Yeah, I was surprised when I figured it out too,” Goh had confessed. “It can be kind of hard to read Ash sometimes. Even when you know he’s upset about something, if he hears one good bit of news he just snaps out of it. He’s really weird.”

Cerise let his hand shift, moving to his notes on Ash instead.

They weren’t as detailed as he would have liked, despite how many times he and the others had talked to Ash about his special abilities. They weren’t actually studying the boy, so there were no readings or data analysis. Cerise had absently put together mindmaps and half-formed thoughts; links to news articles and fairy tales. He was starting to get a shape of the research project that would never be, forming a hypothesis about what had once been called Aura Guardians or Blue Heroes. The spiritual predecessors to the Hoenn Rangers, humans that truly worked with pokemon for the general betterment of… what? Mankind? Poke-kind? The world?

He wasn’t sure. And it wasn’t the point. Ash didn’t want to know more about his abilities and so Cerise knew he should just let it be.

Ash would thank him to put more energy into the Shadow Pokemon. The Shadow Balls.

So he clicked back to his Shadowing notes and then reached over to pick up the two pokeballs Ash had brought back. Cerise didn’t know a great deal about pokeball technology, but he had seen enough of the standard design to recognise something different.

The Shadow Balls were an unusual design, yes, but not even Ash could tell him anything specific about them. He hadn’t made any claims of wrongness or danger. Cerise would have to send them to a colleague who knew more… maybe Professor Elm. Or that Kurt fellow – the pokeball expert from Johto. Cerise had never spoken to him, but Professor Oak could probably extend an introduction. Maybe he could send the boys out. It would be good for them to learn more about pokeball design… maybe Goh would even be able to convince Kurt to give him some Great Balls. Heaven knew the boy could use some variety in his collection.

Reluctantly, Cerise set down the Shadow Balls and pulled up a research database, trying to muster some excitement about the topic. Figuring out how the Shadowing worked was important research, even if there weren’t likely to be any new and exciting discoveries. Pokeballs and their impact on pokemon emotions were a fairly known quantity, even if he didn’t understand it yet himself.

Annoyingly, most of the papers were recognisable and unlikely to help: Balls that were attractive to Water-Types, Bug-Types, the G.S. Ball and all its mysteries… Heavy Balls, Safari Balls… Come on, Elm, give him something…

His eyebrow twitched as he came across a name he didn’t recognise.

“Arlo?”

It wasn’t familiar. He checked the credentials, eyebrow arching even higher as he realised the researcher was from one of the lesser institutes in Sinnoh. A lab similar to his own, trying to work its way up to rival Professor Rowan’s labs.

“Friendship and Frustration: a pokeball research project,” he mumbled, clicking open the paper to search out the extract. “Friendship as defined by Pokescience… Cherish Balls, Friend Balls, mmhm, yes…”

He downloaded the paper just in case and pulled his notepad over so he could start making notes. This ‘Arlo’ was outlining the scientific definitions and limitations of Pokemon Friendship, and how it was manipulated by a Pokeball. According to the excerpt, he was trying to draw the distinction between what humans considered an emotional connection and the scientific definition, arguing that they should use different terminology to encourage healthier perceptions of real friendship amongst young Pokemon Trainers.

Checking the date, it wasn’t that surprising. When Gary Oak’s promise as a competitive Pokemon Trainer had waned, his grandfather had become mildly concerned with the way young trainers were taught to perceive the world. Professor Oak’s interests usually dictated fashions in the Pokemon scientific community, so Gary Oak’s emotional journey had been the beginning of several sociological debates. Most of them still hadn’t been settled.

But Cerise frowned as he skimmed over the passages on human interaction.

This Arlo character was sticking to a fairly standard and accepted definition of Pokemon Friendship, but unlike most papers on the topic, he was highly focussed on the similarities between it and the human emotional connection. According to Arlo, human friendship was based in pack behaviour, and had more to do with strength in numbers than any kind of emotional dependency. He argued that friendship was ultimately just a belief that your ‘friend’ was working toward the same goal as you, and could therefore be relied upon to help you achieve a goal.

There was no emotional dependence. No faith in the other human being. Just a mutually beneficial arrangement, called ‘friendship’ for convenience.

The difference, according to Arlo, was that Pokemon Friendship was widely recognised for what it was, while humans were taught to put an ‘unnecessary emotional weight’ on their friendships. Therefore, when humans ‘inevitably’ betrayed their human friendships for self-gain, it was seen as some great offence. This, Arlo argued, was the fault in the definition, and what needed to be corrected.

But all things considered, Cerise was happy enough to disregard the section, because the rest of the article was surprisingly straight-forward. Using his definitions, Arlo placed clear metrics on Friendship, using a mathematical scale, and provided well backed-up evidence for how different things could impact that scale.

In fact, the metric was so simple that Cerise debated presenting the idea to Ash, only to eventually decide it would just cause more problems than not. Ash definitely believed he was truly friends with his pokemon, by the usual human definition, and would find the suggestion their relationship was only based in ‘mutually beneficial outcomes’ insulting.

Goh, on the other hand… no, giving him this article would be just as bad. He’d take Arlo’s theories on human friendship and run with them. Ash was doing wonders for Goh’s emotional growth; it would not help anyone if Cerise accidentally reset it with an ill-thought out article.

No, he would have to keep this article to himself, and attempt to translate the Friendship Ball’s effects another way, if it ever came up. But, for all of that, it did give him a good starting point. He would have to read it properly when he had time. In the short term, he fired off an email to Oak, asking him if he’d read the article and had an opinion.

That done, he went back to his notes on Sableye and Machoke, and started searching out trends. He owed it to his research fellows to at least make an attempt.

* * *

To be fair, Ash did like Ren a lot. But his insistence on trying lullabies and soothing rain sounds to calm Machoke down was really making Ash wish he hadn’t learned not to pick fights with people he disagreed with.

He exchanged glances with Dragonite, who tilted its head and stared at him pleadingly. It had a solution. Ash suspected it would work. But he could understand the whole science thing and how important it was to try the simple solutions that were easy in big doses and so could only give his pokemon an apologetic grimace and keep waiting.

“Hmm…”

Ash blinked, looking sideways to where Goh was sitting on the steps down to the research floor, still focussed on the tablet Professor Cerise had given him. He’d been tapping away at it all afternoon, and Ash had assumed he’d just been monitoring Machoke’s power levels – whatever that meant.

“Is something changing?” he asked, his interest making Pikachu and Scorbunny perk up from where they’d been playing in the back of the room. They hurried over to Goh’s side, peeking up at the tablet like they could understand .it

“Huh? Oh, uh, one sec’,” Goh said, swiping at something before shaking his head. “Nope. Machoke’s still the same as ever.”

“So then what’s up?” he asked. “What’re you looking at?”

He blushed, swiping back and turning the tablet around so Ash could see he was looking at a map. It was of the Eastern Regions—Kanto, Hoenn, and Johto—with a load of red and blue pins stuck in it. “Remember how I said I’d try to find out where Team Rocket are striking from?”

Honestly, no. But Ash grinned and rushed over to sit beside him on Pikachu’s other side, leaning over to see the map. “Have you found something?”

“Not yet. But it’s interesting,” he said. “Look at these pins. They’re all confirmed reports of Team Rocket stealing pokemon. The red ones are legal battles, while the blue ones are just straight-out thefts.”

Ash grimaced but didn’t comment beyond a single nod. He didn’t like calling them ‘legal battles’.

“I thought that might tell me something, but it really doesn’t, until you also add in points of interest, like gyms and Pokemon Centres,” he said, tapping the map to put on some purple and green pins as well. Ash stared at it, not seeing the point, until Goh gestured to an area around one of the purple points. “It looks like Team Rocket outright steals from Pokemon Centres, but they battle more around gyms.”

“Well… yeah?” Ash said blankly, not seeing what was interesting. “Gyms have more battlers. Pokemon Centres let any trainer stay, even the ones that just keep them as pets. They’re a lot more vulnerable, right?”

Goh blinked back. “Uh… yeah, I guess I didn’t think of that,” he said, but then continued, “But that’s not what I mean. I mean, look at the clusters. All of the pins are focussed on those points of interest. Team Rocket’s not bothering to attack much outside those areas. It’s all focussed.”

Ash nodded slowly. He still didn’t get it.

“And when you look at it, most of the attacks are in cities that have a gym. I think Team Rocket are focussing on areas around gyms, like your friends’. I think that means that the gyms are the real targets!”

“That seems pretty risky, doesn’t it?” Ren asked, and they looked up to find he’d turned away from Machoke to focus on them, despite the MP3 player still blasting waterfall sounds at Machoke’s unimpressed face. “Team Rocket have always just wanted to amass a pokemon army, but Gyms are filled with incredibly powerful pokemon and trainers! Why go after them when you could just steal from a Safari Park?”

“That’s what’s kinda scary about it,” said Goh. “The fact they’re targeting Gyms would kind of imply that they’re making some kind of push.”

“A push?” Ash repeated, and he nodded.

“You told me that Team Rocket want to take over the world, right? Well, maybe this is the start of that. Maybe they have enough small-fry pokemon for their army. Maybe they’re ready to start challenging the people in power!”

Ash jerked back, fists clenching, but Ren hummed thoughtfully, like he didn’t quite buy the idea. “But if they were doing that, then you’d think they’d be making a bigger show of it. Even the Gym Leaders you guys have talked to aren’t sure anything is really happening. It’s not much of a challenge if the people in power just find it mildly inconvenient, is it?”

“I guess not… but then why take the risk of attacking around Gyms?” asked Goh, and Ren grimaced.

While they considered, a sliver of movement made Ash look around at Dragonite. It had obviously gotten bored with waiting, and was slowly creeping its way toward the monitoring plate. He blinked, aware that he should probably stop it, but a quick glance around the room, his eyes ending up back on Machoke’s furious stare, told him he would actually rather not. He pointedly turned back to the conversation and chose not to notice Dragonite's grin.

Ren huffed, rubbing the back of his neck. “I’m not really familiar with Team Rocket. My Pokemon Journey was over pretty quickly before I decided to go back to school,” he admitted with a grin. “So all I get is the news, and you know they don’t talk about Team Rocket much. But from what I remember, they were mostly active in big towns, and went after small targets.”

“Big towns?” Goh prompted.

“Yeah. You weren’t very likely to run into them in the small villages, and they were pretty rare out on the roads,” he said. “You ran into travelling trainers more than Team Rocket.”

“So you think all these attacks being around the gyms might just be a coincidence?”

Behind them, Machoke had noticed Dragonite coming closer and was clenching its fists, ready for a fight. Dragonite silently stared it down, reminding it that anger and a drive to fight was one thing, but Dragonite was bigger, wider, and a flying-type. Fists wouldn’t get Machoke very far if they went up against each other. So Machoke could only edge back as Dragonite carefully clambered up onto the monitoring platform.

Goh’s tablet beeped, and Ash glanced over warily, but Goh and Ren were clearly too focussed on their conversation to notice.

So Machoke was alone as Dragonite continued its slow approach. Neither Ren or Goh noticed Dragonite sidle up, or its arms spread wide, or Machoke’s eyes widening in sudden panic and realisation.

“Hang on,” Ren said, cutting off the conversation as he finally noticed the beeping tablet. “Is something –”

But too late.

Dragonite had already snatched Machoke up in both arms, crushing it tight to its chest with all the love and affection it had. Ash tried to look surprised as Goh leapt to his feet and Ren spun around.

“Dragonite, no!” they yelped, and Ren flailed his arms before turning back to Goh. “Quick, the readings! What –”

But Ash suspected there wasn’t a lot of point in checking the readings, and bit his lip to try and hide his smile. Machoke’s stricken face had already softened into shock, and then a more gentle surprise. Its eyes, which had been wide and panicked almost all day, slowly relaxed until it was just staring blindly over Dragonite’s shoulder. After another moment, its arms untensed, and then curled in, hands coming to rest on Dragonite’s back. Within moments, it was hugging it back.

The anger that had been quietly prickling around the room faded.

“Oh, my goodness,” Ren breathed, while Goh blinked rapidly.

“That’s… incredible. It’s just like…” He hesitated, then yanked up the tablet, swiping back to Machoke’s readings. “Look! It’s all going down! Just like with Sableye!”

“Really?” Ren rushed over to grab Goh’s shoulder, turning him so they could both see the tablet. He made a strange noise that was somehow both a cheer and sob. “Oh, no, Professor Cerise is going to kill me!”

Ash frowned. “How come? Did Dragonite ruin the test?”

“I… don’t know, I can’t… tell,” he said, staring between the pokemon and tablet. “I mean… well, look! Look at these readings! We can’t tell what’s Machoke and what’s Dragonite!”

“Well, I mean, if you look at the timeline,” Goh said, pointing to a graph in the corner, “this would probably be where Dragonite got involved, and over here –”

Ultimately deciding he didn’t really care that much, Ash left them to it, glancing back to where Pikachu and Scorbunny were still watching. They both gave him cheeky grins, no doubt guessing exactly what he’d let happen, and he winked back. Pikachu scampered over to climb up his shoulder as he got to his feet.

The two of them headed over to join Dragonite and Machoke on the monitoring platform. “Hey, Machoke. You feelin’ any better?”

It peeked at him, and clearly would have pulled back from the hug if Dragonite had let it. With no room to move, it could only offer up an embarrassed smile and say, “Ma-ma chop…”

“Well, a little’s better than nothing,” he pointed out, and it laughed weakly, nodding once against Dragonite’s shoulder.

“Ash?” Goh called out, his voice breathy with exasperation. “Just so you know, our readings are completely useless right now. You, Dragonite, and Pikachu are seriously polluting everything.”

“I’ll just be a second!” he said, waving him off before going back to Machoke. This was important. “Hey um… I don’t want to rush you or anything, but before Team Rocket caught you… did you have a trainer? Or were you on your own?”

It shrugged as best it could beneath Dragonite’s arms. “Machokema, ma chop ma-ma chop, machoke machoke.”

Honestly… Ash had no idea what that was supposed to mean. He glanced at Pikachu, who hesitated before explaining it did have a trainer, but wasn’t sure the trainer would want it back. Ash grinned.

“Aw, don’t worry about that. I just know they will! You just wait; we’ll do our best to find them and get you home!”

Machoke smiled bravely, and Dragonite grinned, finally pulling back its arms. Machoke started to stand up straight, but neither it or Ash were expecting to be scooped right back up again, Ash yelping as he was lifted right off his feet.

“Pi-i-ika!” Pikachu yelled as it was crushed into Machoke’s shoulder, and Ash cringed, bodily pinned between the three pokemon. But when all he felt was the warmth of Dragonite’s affection, he blinked, belatedly realising he wasn’t feeling a sudden rush of memory. It was just like a normal pokemon.

When Professor Cerise and the others had come to pick them all up, the researchers had been the one to drag Machoke’s unconscious body into the truck. Ash hadn’t had a chance to touch it yet. He’d kind of expected to get all Machoke’s experiences the moment he did.

But he didn’t normally get the memories of every pokemon he touched, so he supposed he shouldn’t be surprised. He had just gotten used to it from Shadowed Pokemon. But then… Machoke wasn’t Shadowed anymore. Dragonite’s hug really had fixed it.

He grinned, bending his head in the best sign of affection that he could give. “I’m so glad you’re feeling better, Machoke!”

“Ma chop!” it laughed, and Dragonite rumbled happily, squeezing them all tighter still.

* * *

Unfortunately, when he came out of his office and Ren explained what had happened, Professor Cerise was a lot less impressed than Ash had been. Goh and Ren took him through the numbers, throwing loads of charts and graphs on the holographic screen, but Professor Cerise just stared at them silently, listening to their theories without a word. Honestly, Ash didn’t get any of it. He was sitting on the floor with the pokemon, watching everyone talk and trying to look like he wasn’t completely lost.

When Goh finally trailed off, admitting they didn’t know exactly what had caused Machoke to calm down, Professor Cerise let out a very long breath.

“There is something to it, I’ll admit,” he said, and stepped forward to move some of the charts around. “If these are the Shadowed readings, and we cut out transformative analysis to just view the final product, there is a certain element of similarity between the two test cases.”

“Only two data points don’t really allow for a solid hypothesis, Professor,” Chrysa pointed out, and he nodded.

“Not to mention the variance in transformative data. It’s better than nothing, but not by much.”

“I’m not sure it is better than nothing, sir. It’s two dots on a page.”

Sableye leaned its elbow on Ash’s knee, sharp edges making him wince, but when he looked down it was to find the little pokemon was clearly just bored. It tilted its head back and forth, amusing itself as the conversation continued. On his other side, Scorbunny had long since lost interest, and was trying to challenge Machoke to a fight. Machoke was staring at it blankly, the sheer size difference between them causing it confusion.

Pikachu, at least, was used to humans having long and boring conversations it didn’t understand, and so was just sitting on his shoulder as usual and doing a much better job than him at looking like it was paying attention. Ash tried to follow its example, but his frustration from earlier was coming back.

This didn’t need to be complicated.

He hadn’t known Dragonite for very long yet, but what he did know was that its hugs were incredible. Being wrapped up in its arms could make you feel instantly calmer, instantly lighter. Any worries you had just stopped mattering as much, because you knew Dragonite loved you and would take care of you. And now they knew it could break through the Shadowing. It could break through the thing that Ash couldn’t explain. The nasty thing that made it so a pokemon couldn’t remember anything good.

It made perfect sense to Ash, because Dragonite’s hugs were so warm and kind that there was no getting around the fact that Dragonite cared about you. No dumb block made by some nasty pokeball could stand up to that much love.

The only weird thing about it was that if that was what had happened, then how come he could do the same thing? How come he could break through the Shadowing too? He didn’t hug the Shadowed Pokemon. He just tried to remind it of the good stuff.

But then, what had Mewtwo said about him? That he had the kindness to… to heal pain. That was… Surely it couldn’t just be that, could it? Being kind? Showing he cared?

Maybe it was. Maybe it was just that simple.

Showing someone you cared… he knew that could be pretty powerful. It meant a lot. And it was a pretty rare phenomenon for some people.

He started to smile, but it faded as he looked up at the rest of the research team, who were still debating and throwing around numbers he didn’t understand.

If all they needed to cure the Shadowed Pokemon was kindness, then why would that be so hard for everyone to understand? Goh and Professor Cerise loved pokemon as much as he did. The whole research team did! Why were they making this such a big confusing problem?

Maybe he was missing something.

Maybe, even though he hadn’t told them, it had something to do with why he hadn’t seen Machoke’s memories after it was cured. It wouldn’t be the first time he hadn’t realised something obvious. Maybe there was a lot more going on than he knew.

Still, they weren’t including him in the debate, and he was honestly getting kind of bored listening to it. So he took a deep breath and looked around at the pokemon again. “You guys wanna go outside for a bit? I don’t think anyone’s gonna come to any great decisions tonight.”

“Sable!” Sableye agreed, and Machoke looked up from Scorbunny with a confused blink before nodding once.

But Scorbunny pouted, pointing at Goh’s back and pointing out that it probably couldn’t go anywhere while Goh was busy.

“We’re not going far,” Ash said. “Just to the garden.”

It shook its head, insistent on staying with its trainer, and he shrugged. “Okay. What about you guys? Pikachu? Dragonite?”

Although Pikachu did feel kind of bad for leaving Scorbunny alone, neither of them could complain about the chance to get out of the lab, and so Ash quietly got to his feet and led the way up into the house proper. Unfortunately, it was still the Cerise Institute, with its weird tired energy, but as the door shut behind them, Ash stretched his arms up overhead and tried to shake off his lingering frustration.

“Man! I know it’s important, but all that science gets pretty heavy sometimes! I don’t know how they do it!”

“Pika chu,” Pikachu agreed, and then leapt down, beckoning the group onward. “Pika! Pikachu!”

The other pokemon all cheered and hurried after it, Ash following behind as they headed through the house and out into the back garden. Pikachu was cheerfully suggesting a game of tag, but none of the others had ever played before, and already the chatter was turning to how they would play when they were all such different sizes and one of them could literally fly.

Ash just let them go, enjoying the sound of pokemon having fun even as his thoughts drifted away again. Clearly, he needed a distraction. Or maybe to just figure out what had been bothering him since his conversation with Chrysa. Or before that. Maybe since his conversation with Mewtwo. Wow, had that really only been yesterday?

As the pokemon rushed off into the garden, Ash trotted down the steps, absently gazing up at the Institute’s windows. He’d have to make sure they were all locked up before he went to bed tonight. It wouldn’t be like Team Rocket to attack the Institute, but they’d been pretty close today. And it had sounded a lot like they’d been waiting for him specifically. That was kind of weird.

Man. He’d liked it better when he just had to worry about Jessie and James. Even when they were chasing him down every three days, at least he knew what to expect, and he’d never really had to worry about anyone’s pokemon but his own.

What if Team Rocket—the shadowy Rockets—really did start showing up at the Institute? What if they tried to get into Cerise Park? Worse, what if they showed up when Ash and Goh were out on a research mission? Mr Mime wasn’t great against multiple opponents, and somehow Ash doubted Francois was exactly made for battle. Goh had a couple of pretty strong pokemon, but it wasn’t like he was training any of them to be independent battlers…

Maybe… Ash could always do what he’d done for Misty and Norman… bring some of his old team in…

No. He didn’t really want to take anyone off the ranch just to hang out and play guard. Everyone liked the ranch, and he’d feel bad having them around when he couldn’t really focus on them. He was still doing occasional training sessions with Pikachu, Mr Mime, and Dragonite, but it wasn’t like he normally did. He wasn't _working_ on them. Dragonite didn’t mind – it wasn’t really invested in getting stronger, so it was happy to go without much active training. But his older team members…

He let out a long breath, scratching at the hair under his cap.

If he was being honest with himself, he was a little worried they’d be disappointed in him.

It was kind of a dumb thought, and he knew it. His team liked hanging out on the ranch. None of them had been upset when they’d heard he’d decided to stay in Alola to study, and they all seemed okay with what he was doing now. It wasn’t like even one of them had so much as suggested that they disapproved of him giving up on the leagues.

He just… sometimes he wondered.

All of them had signed on to work with a _battle_ trainer. Even if they weren’t in his active roster, they knew what they were getting into with him. Except they hadn’t, because here he was, not even battling most days. Not even training, sometimes.

It was fine, really. But he couldn’t help thinking that if he brought them out here, where they could see what he was doing, someone like Charizard might… well…

He was Ash Ketchum. He wanted to become a Pokemon Master – the best Pokemon Master the world had ever seen. He knew that meant he had to get smarter as well as strong. He knew he had to work in different ways.

He wondered if his pokemon would think the same thing.

Ah well. He clapped his hands loudly, trying to force himself out of the roundabout thoughts. Today had been a good day, after all! They’d rescued two Shadowed Pokemon, figured out that all it took to fix it was a little bit of kindness, and Goh was working on a theory that might tell them where to find Team Rocket! There was no point in dwelling on dumb thoughts when he had so much good stuff to celebrate!

"Let's go, Ash!" he told himself, and turned to go find his pokemon.

* * *

There was a gengar staring at her.

Mahjong clenched her eyes shut, shook her head, and then reopened them. The gengar was still there.

It didn’t seem to object to her presence, crouched between a rose bush that had far too many thorns and a hedge that seemed designed to drag at her pigtails, but it was still a gengar, sticking out of the ground so that only its eyes upward were visible, staring at her.

According to all the research she’d gathered and the various trojans she’d put on the Cerise network, none of the people that worked there owned any of the gengar evolutionary line. That meant this was a wild one. Which meant she was either at risk of getting cursed or pranked, depending on the ghost-type’s mood.

She was so not paid enough for that.

She dug around in her sidepack for a moment before finding what she was looking for, and silently held it up. Gengar’s eyes tracked over the Cleanse Tag, came back to her, and then faded out of view, along with the rest of it. She stuffed the tag down the front of her shirt and went back to watching Ash Ketchum ramble along the garden paths.

Mostly, she was waiting for the research team to call it a night and head home so she could slip in and steal Cerise’s notes. But there was also a certain amount of value in watching Ketchum on his own. It would come in handy if her bosses decided they wanted to do something about him.

And wow, but was she hoping they would. He was proving intriguing.

The fact was, Giovanni had been interested in him for years, for no particular reason. But what was more interesting was that most people _weren’t_. Sierra was right – based on his history, Ketchum should have been a minor celebrity even before he’d become an official regional champion. He had such a habit of… being there. Wherever ‘there’ was, whenever something was going on, Ash Ketchum was usually somewhere in the vicinity. But she only knew that because Team Rocket usually knew about the stuff because Jessie and James were there, and Jessie and James had spent an awful lot of the last few years chasing Ash Ketchum across six regions. It was knowledge by proxy.

Directly, though, Ash Ketchum was a hidden factor. An unknown. Unrecognised. A mystery.

Mahjong did not like mysteries. You could only guarantee a win in the game if you knew every tile in the set.

She didn’t care about his ability to break the Shadowing. Her pokemon were naturally broken, and there was no way even little mister pure of heart could change that. But she needed to know more about him. She needed to know why he was always there. Why he mattered, but not enough to be recognised.

So she was really hoping the bosses would decide to go after him. She wanted to catch him. She wanted to know why Giovanni hadn’t yet.

That was the kind of knowledge she could really have some fun with.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those wondering why I'm not updating this particularly quickly, the answer is that I wanted this fic to be comfort food. Unfortunately, I'm not really enjoying Pokemon Journeys, and the fandom is definitely not proving comfort-food, so my motivation's been a little low. Don't worry, I fully intend to finish, I just... am going to be a bit slow. Apologies for those waiting...


	16. Digging (six feet) Deep

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who realised she'd screwed up the episode order? I could have sworn Unova and Gengar came before the Leon/Lance battle. OH WELL, I did say this wasn't canon compliant...!

It wasn’t often that he would admit it to himself, but there were times that Lance had to accept that he had possibly bitten off more than he could chew.

He sank back in his chair, staring at the dozen emails his secretary had forwarded on to him. A dozen, no doubt culled from hundreds, of press invitations and official events.

He never should have entertained this stupid cup.

What had he been thinking? He was already responsible for two regions outside his actual job leading the G-Men. He had daily briefings from his Elite Eight, his seconds in the G-Men, and the International Intelligence Leads. He had to work with other Champions, the PokeScience Community, the Jenny Network, PokeHealth, field work, management…

And now he had let that trumped up starlet goad him into the most publicised event of the year. The ‘Coronation Cup’, to crown the ‘monarch’ of Pokemon Battle. Utterly ridiculous.

And yet… Lance set his jaw, glaring at the emails from under heavy brows. He was the world’s strongest Pokemon Trainer, but that was judged by outdated concepts. It had fallen into doubt recently… with the introduction of mega evolution into the global rules… dynamaxing… the Z-moves from Alola… Some days he questioned his own abilities, and the rest of the world was questioning him too.

And so Leon, who was so proud to have never lost a match, had managed to tempt him into this silly match that Lance didn’t really have time for.

He had other things to do. More important things. His gyms were being attacked, Team Rocket were running rampant, Stone was nagging him constantly – as if he could talk! Spending half his time getting involved with international incidents and outright refusing to answer Cynthia’s calls about their regions’ ongoing debates.

And yet here he was, flying halfway around the world to compete in a meaningless battle without any of the normal rules. One round? One pokemon? What would that honestly prove? As if a single pokemon was any reflection on –!

A buzz interrupted his roundabout thoughts, and he looked down at his intercom for a moment, mentally blank. Then he remembered that he had sat down to read emails before his next appointment, which was… apparently now. He sighed and reached out to confirm his readiness.

The door opened only a moment later, and Commissioner Jenny marched into his office. She came to attention opposite his desk and gave him a swift salute. “Thank you for seeing me, sir. I understand you are shorter on time than usual.”

“It’s not a problem, Jenny. Take a seat,” he said, and she nodded before moving to sit in one of the large armchairs, extending a manilla folder for him to take. He opened it as she sat down. “I take it this is more than just your usual update?”

“Yes, sir. I’ve been speaking with my peers in Johto and Hoenn, and I assume you’ve heard from Champion Steven Stone. The situation with Team Rocket has developed,” she reported. “Commissioner Jenny in Hoenn has confirmed that her Gym Leaders have begun hiring Trainers to protect their gyms. Petalburg Gym is of particular interest.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Petalburg?”

“Gym Leader Norman, sir. He has a normal-type gym, but a sceptile has been sighted patrolling his grounds,” she said, and he frowned.

“A sceptile? Sceptile is a grass-type, isn’t it?”

“Yes sir. The local Jenny believes it is a loaned pokemon. Specifically, she suspects it may have been loaned to the gym by Ash Ketchum,” she said, and he caught her brief smile when he quickly looked up. “You may recall, sir, that Ash Ketchum travelled with Gym Leader Norman’s children for a time.”

He did recall that. May and Max – both as rough and headstrong as the Ash, but with very different talents. “Any sign of Ash himself?”

“Not significant. I have confirmed he’s currently in the employ of Professor Cerise of Vermillion City, apparently as a research fellow. The job takes him across several regions. He was in Hoenn for a competition a few days before the sceptile was first noticed,” she added absently, before continuing in a more brusque tone. “In addition, I’ve had reports from both Vermillion and Cerulean City that he’s been involved in the recapture of multiple pokemon stolen by Team Rocket.”

“Forgive my lack of surprise,” he said, and Jenny very nearly rolled her eyes before catching herself with a nod.

“The Team Rocket members involved were specifically not Jessie, James, Butch, or Cassidy.”

He paused at that, his gaze lingering on her for a moment before dropping to the file she’d provided. It was a one-pager, summarising what would no doubt be a much larger file he could find on the network. It was a report from the Vermillion City Jenny, detailing an attack from yesterday. A Machoke was returned, apparently stolen from a trainer by Team Rocket and won through a battle. There was a highlighted section in the notes, identifying that the trainer had been engaged in battle as part of a direct attack.

“A direct attack on Ash Ketchum?” he asked, confirming the trainer name and then re-reading the notes. “And you’re sure the involved Team Rocket members weren’t Jessie or James?”

“He didn’t recognise them. But they called _him_ by name,” she said. “They attempted to abduct his pokemon through the use of pokeballs Professor Cerise described as ‘Shadow Balls’.”

“Shadow Balls?” he repeated. “You don’t mean Dusk Balls?”

“No, sir. He was very explicit,” she confirmed. “That is the other point of concern, sir. Ash Ketchum collected the balls that had been thrown, and they were brought to the Cerise Institute for examination. We were given photographs, but they were not available when the Vermillion Jenny asked about them. The contact at the Institute claimed they had most likely been taken by one of the resident pokemon as a toy. I have asked her to follow up.”

He paused, weighing the information. Ash Ketchum was a… curiosity to most of the regional leaders. He got caught up in a lot, often resolving minor problems and occasionally major crises before the actual authorities could even try to get involved. Occasionally, Lance tried to check in on him, see if he was interested in joining one of the regulatory agencies of Kanto or Johto, but he never seemed to be available when Lance went looking. It was easier to just hope you ran into him somewhere.

“Prior to this most recent attack, Ash Ketchum was involved in the return of a poliwag and politoed, handed into the Cerulean City Jenny by Gym Leader Misty,” Jenny continued. “Again, the Team Rocket members were not identified, implying that neither Ash Ketchum or Gym Leader Misty knew them. Before then, it was a cubone in Vermillion City, from a single Team Rocket agent. The Vermillion Jenny didn’t think much of it at the time. However, a direct attack and three incidents are more than enough to pique _my_ interest. When added to Team Rocket’s recent attacks on the Gyms, however unconfirmed they may be, I thought it best to appraise you of these apparent coincidences.”

“I appreciate it,” he said, frowning at the file. He didn’t like coincidences. “This attack happened over a day ago. Has anything happened since?”

“Not that we’ve heard, but this _is_ Ash Ketchum, sir.”

He pursed his lips, because that was a legitimate comment. Even if you actively tracked his movements, you could go weeks or even months without hearing anything unusual. It was only much later that you discovered that no, Ash hadn’t just been wandering the Unovan woods on his way to a gym battle; he’d been guiding a mythological horse pokemon to do battle with a dragon. Quietly whiling away his days in a school yard? No, of course not, he’d been cultivating a rivalry with the Alolan god of battle. Lost in the mountains in regional Kanto? No, saving the local kingdom from an environmental disaster! Just another day in the life.

But even by Ash’s standards, twenty-four hours was probably a bit soon to have anything too unusual happen.

“Tell me more about these Shadow Balls,” he said, but Jenny grimaced, and as her report continued, it became clear that they still had very little beyond conjecture. They were certain that Team Rocket were up to something, but that they were limiting their movements to the gym-cities of Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn. Whatever their overall intentions, the League and Jenny Network were convinced that Team Rocket were targeting the gym pokemon for some as yet unknown scheme. If Ash was indeed loaning out his pokemon, it was entirely possible that he was being included as a target just to keep him out of the way. The Cerise Institute claiming evidence of some new pokeball was broadly unsubstantiated and could be nothing more than branding, besides.

As far as solid evidence went, they had almost nothing.

And here Lance was, about to jump on a plane to Galar to compete in a match to assuage his ego.

“I think,” he said as he stared at the report again, “it may be time I tried catching up with Mr Ketchum again. You said he’s working for a Kanto Professor at the moment?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Do you think this professor might give him time to come see a champion level match?”

* * *

It wasn’t often that Mahjong went back to base. Her job was out in the field, gathering information and finding new ways into places she wasn’t meant to be. But unlike most pokeballs, discarded Shadow Balls didn’t disintegrate over time, and Arlo was annoyingly secretive about his little pet project. So she had to physically hand them over.

She found the man himself in his lab, hunched in front of his computer and practically oozing controlled panic. She deposited the broken balls on his desk and folded her arms behind her back, wondering what commenting would cost her.

His eyes flickered over before returning to his screen. “No written material?”

“You mean notebooks? Why would I take that?” As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Mahjong knew Arlo was too far gone for that kind of sense. His head jerked around, his eyes narrowing dangerously and lips pulling back in a sneer.

“I told you to take all of his research! Everything! I don’t want that fool following my science!” he snapped. “Did you even wipe his computers?”

“Of course not,” she said patiently. “If I’d taken anything but the pokeballs, they would have known I was there.”

“What?” he snarled, and she swallowed. Arlo wasn’t scary. He couldn’t do anything to her.

“Right now, the whole Institute is treating this as a hobby,” she pointed out. “Ash runs into Team Rocket, or loans out his pokemon, and that’s as far as their interest in us goes. Cerise is investigating Ash’s abilities for fun. The moment I do something like delete his notes or take a notebook, they’re going to realise someone’s looking into them.”

“Do I look like I care?” he demanded, shoving himself out of his chair, and Mahjong took a few steps back before she could stop herself. She _wasn’t_ scared of him. He stalked after her. “I don’t think you realise the severity of our situation! This boy has taken on every major criminal organisation in seven regions! Team _Galactic_ were brought down with his involvement!”

“I don’t know who that is,” she said, and he laughed derisively.

“Of course you don’t! You don’t know anything!”

Mahjong shifted her stance slightly, letting the insult wash over her. He didn’t matter.

“If you had even taken a moment to read Cerise’s notes, you would realise we’re not dealing with an ordinary trainer here,” he snapped. “A Champion! A Brain Candidate! He can use _Aura_ , you foolish child! He could ruin everything!”

“I read the files. I’ve done the research,” she said evenly. “He’s not a problem as long as he doesn’t know where we are. He’s not proactive – he never searches out Team Rocket, or any of his enemies. If we stay away –”

“I won’t take that chance!” he yelled, and she rocked back another step. “He has defeated our programming at least four times now. His – his _pokemon_ apparently have the ability as well. I will not let such a risk go unchecked.”

“Fine,” she said. “What would you like me to do about it? Bring him in?”

“As if I would trust you to follow such a simple instruction after this debacle,” he sneered. “Cliff and I will deal with him. _You_ will go back to Cerise Institute, and you will watch him. Learn his movements. The moment an opening arises, you will inform us.”

Fine. That she could do. “Anything else?”

“Learn to do what you’re told,” he snapped. “Get out of my laboratory.”

She paused a moment, debating whether she should try and warn him again. Attacking Ash directly was only going to draw attention to both him and the whole operation. According to their information, Ash had friends in high places. This was going to end badly.

But clearly, that didn’t matter as much as Arlo’s perfect orders.

So she just saluted, turned on her heel, and walked out of the room. Evidently, she had work to do.

* * *

Staring blindly at the bunk above him, Ash reflected on the day and decided he should have noticed before.

The reason the Institute always felt tired and worn down was because there was a pokemon stalking the halls. Of _course_.

He didn’t know why Gengar was hanging around, yet. It wasn’t really normal for ghost-types to haunt occupied buildings, and Gengar itself hadn’t exactly given a lot of clues. It just seemed angry. Angry and tired and lonely.

He also didn’t know why it had picked today, of all days, to show itself, but it didn’t matter. It had. And it had proved to be pretty powerful. It didn’t have a lot of stamina, so even Yamper had managed to drive it off, but Ash had been pretty impressed with what he’d seen.

He wondered if Goh would manage to catch it in the end. It clearly liked the Institute, so it would enjoy hanging around like most of his other pokemon. But even with its stamina issues, Ash didn’t feel like Gengar would be an easy catch. It would need to be battled. And with only Quick Attack and Double-kick, Scorbunny wouldn’t be that helpful. Hopefully Goh would figure that out and find a different way to catch it.

Probably not this week though. Goh was pretty busy this week.

They’d barely even had time to work on their report from Unova. Sableye and Machoke had basically taken priority as soon as they were rescued. When Ash took Machoke in to Officer Jenny, she’d gotten kind of weird, asking even more questions than she had before, and eventually demanded to come back with them to the Institute. She and Professor Cerise had disappeared inside his office for ages, and neither of them looked very happy when they came out. Apparently a pokemon had stolen the Shadow Balls, which Ash found kind of weird, and Jenny thought was extremely suspicious. But Professor Cerise laughed off any suggestion that someone could have taken them.

Jenny had fixed Ash and Goh with very firm looks when they tried to walk her out.

“Look, I know you can handle yourselves, and things have gone well so far,” she said. “But Team Rocket are a big deal. The G-Men work very hard trying to track them down; even Champion Lance has trouble with some of their elite members. You can’t handle everything on your own.”

“It’s not like we’re going looking for them!” Goh said, frowning at her tone. “They came after Ash. What are we supposed to do, just give up?”

She hadn’t liked that question. She told them to tell her if anything else happened.

“Like what?” asked Ash. “You mean if we find any more Shadowed Pokemon?”

“For example,” she’d said, giving him another long look. “Or if you run into any other Team Rocket members. Especially any that know your name.”

He hadn’t really understood what the big deal was. The Jennys had never cared about Team Rocket before.

Worse, Goh hadn’t liked her attitude, and the second she was out of hearing, he announced he’d ‘show her’. He threw himself back into trying to narrow down where Team Rocket were striking from.

The research team, on the other hand, focussed on the data they’d gotten from Sableye and Machoke. They seemed fascinated by it, and seemed kind of disappointed when all Ash could add to the investigation was his theory that the Shadowing could just be broken by caring about someone.

None of them seemed to think that was likely.

So everyone else was working really hard, leaving only Ash to hang around. The whole mess with Gengar had interrupted things for a few hours, but unfortunately it hadn’t proved enough of a distraction for everyone to calm down. They’d celebrated Yamper’s win, told Ash to keep an eye out for more ghostly activity, and then started making plans for how they’d approach the next set of calculations on Shadow Effects. Eventually, the research team had gone home, but now Goh was hunched over his rotomphone and Ash was lying back on his bunk, bored and waiting for bedtime.

With nothing else to do, he was thinking a lot about Gengar. He couldn’t believe he’d missed it for so long.

He wondered whether he would have figured it out sooner if he knew more about energy. He wasn’t good at explaining it, and he knew that had to mean he wasn’t very good at making sense of it. If he was good at it—good like the Kahuna back in Alola, or that guy Riley from Sinnoh, or who knew who else—would he have been able to immediately know that the house felt so old and tired because Gengar was hiding in the walls?

Would he be able to figure out why?

Maybe he’d be able to tell why Gengar was so angry.

He lifted one hand to look at it, absently flexing his fingers. With the Shadowed Pokemon, he could just reach out and touch them, and he’d see all their important memories. The things they’d loved and cared about. Gengar wasn’t Shadowed, he was pretty sure, but it would have been so handy if his weird memory thing could work the other way, too. If he could touch Gengar and see why it was so upset… if he could just _understand_ …

Now that would be something useful. Being able to understand why people were angry.

Sometimes he wished he could do that with Goh. He wasn’t nearly as spiky as he’d been when they first met, but there were definitely still times Ash wished he could reach out, pet down the spikes, and understand why Goh was so prickly. If he understood that, he figured, maybe he could help.

But no, of course not. His weirdness was never something simple and useful. He just got the crazy stuff that maybe wasn’t anything but his imagination and ago.

Still… it was an interesting kind of thought. He clenched his fist and let it drop onto his stomach, returning his gaze to the bunk overhead.

The Shadow Pokemon were different. He knew that. They had a definite block kind of thing, stopping them from remembering any of the good things they showed Ash when he touched them. Gengar and Goh didn’t have that, they were just angry.

Angry in a… He made a face at his own thoughts, because he almost felt like they were angry in the same kind of way. Spiky, bristling, kind of weirdly acidic like a lemon. Ash licked his lips and swallowed to push down the taste of it.

The Shadowed Pokemon just needed someone to care about them. It didn’t matter what the research team said, Ash was sure of it: just by showing them a little love, that was enough to break down the barrier and make them remember everything they needed to.

Goh and Gengar didn’t have that block.

But everyone in the whole world needed someone who cared about them. Ash’s friends had changed him in so many good ways; he always wanted to live up to their example. He wanted to be a good friend to everyone he cared about. He always wanted to be what his friends needed.

And yeah… sometimes that meant doing stuff that Professor Kukui didn’t like. Not that he’d done it a lot with his friends in Alola, but… if he was being honest, he knew it was the same thing.

He still hadn’t told Goh about the Alola League. It hadn’t come up yet. He’d barely explained anything about Alola, beyond the fact that he’d lived there with Professor Kukui and Professor Burnet. He’d gone to the school. He’d just been explaining what he knew about writing pokescience reports, so the other stuff…

He really didn’t know how Goh would react if—no, _when_ —he did tell him.

He didn’t know why Goh was so spiky. He couldn’t figure it out. But he knew that a good friend would definitely help. He wanted to be that friend. He wanted to help Goh.

Telling him about the Alola League and stuff… that wouldn’t help.

Professor Kukui would understand.

And, in the same way, Ash was sure that Gengar just needed a trainer that truly cared about it. But it wouldn’t do well if Ash started trying to be its friend, and then had to stop because Goh caught it – he wouldn’t be a good friend if he started trying to really build relationships with Goh’s pokemon. And so that would just make things worse.

Better to leave it for now. Until one of them caught Gengar, or he and Goh understood each other a little better. He just had to set all that aside; worry about it later.

Then he could really help them both.

* * *

It was exceptionally late by the time Jessie sauntered into the hideout, shopping bags slung over her shoulders. Unsurprisingly, the room was even darker than usual, with Wobbuffet and Meowth already curled up asleep in their beds.

But James was still up, seated between the couch and coffee table. He was staring at his laptop with heavy brows.

“Now that’s not a good face,” she commented quietly. “Keep that up and you’ll get wrinkles.”

“Nonsense, Jessie dear, you look younger than the day I met you,” he said absently, and she raised an eyebrow.

“And yet _you’re_ going deaf in your old age. Were you even _listening_?”

“Hm?” He blinked, then looked up, frowning when he saw her properly. “Oh, sorry. I suppose I was a little distracted.”

She set her hand on her hip, frowning at him for a moment before glancing over at the pokemon. Confirming they were definitely asleep, she decided their banter could take a backseat and so just dropped her bags on the couch before moving around it to sit down at his shoulder. “You’re still working on those files?”

“I broke the last code a few hours ago,” he said softly. “How was your shopping?”

“Fine. I have all our looks prepared, and I tracked down the flight we’re taking,” she said. “We’re due at the airport at nine, so I’ll pack tonight.”

“Excellent. Though that’s an awfully convenient time,” he noted. “Matori does seem to have made our lives suspiciously easy with this trip.”

“No doubt she’s up to something. But we’re far too busy to waste time on working that out right now,” she said. “And speaking of, don’t think I didn’t notice you skirt my question. What’s in the files?”

They both turned to look at his screen. As should have been expected, mostly all Jessie could see was a load of pointless text and some equally meaningless graphs. And yet James reluctantly gestured to them.

“These are some power readings from Mahjong’s team. It seems her pokemon have been used a kind of control group for the project,” he explained softly. “She has a very unusual training style. I’m not exactly a fan.”

“No?” Jessie squinted at the graph, trying to make sense of it. “What is it?”

“They’re calling it Shadow Training. It’s designed to make the pokemon more powerful. Much more powerful.” He took a breath, folding his arms over his chest. “However, in my opinion, it all sounds rather… well, cruel.”

Jessie looked at him sideways, waiting for him to explain. He paused a moment, then looked up at her again. “Do you remember the Iron Masked Marauder, by any chance?”

She made a face, stretching her memory back. “What, you mean that freak with the Dark Balls? Didn’t he get blown up or something?”

“Or something, but the important thing is the Dark Balls,” he said, and scrolled down to show two more images. One of them Jessie vaguely recognised as some pokeballs she’d seen and forgotten, while the other was a similar but different design – more streamlined. James tapped on the recognisable ones. “They had the power to corrupt all pokemon, turning their hearts dark and destructive. Giovanni apparently decided they were too volatile, and wouldn’t let anyone else build more of them.”

“Of course not,” she said dismissively. “Why waste time on something the Twerp could fix with a few nice words?”

James blinked, then smiled wryly and didn’t comment. “Well, it seems we kept the designs. These pokeballs here are a newer version.”

“Oh? Sound proof, are they?”

“That remains to be seen,” he drawled, and she rolled her eyes.

“Well, if this has anything to do with Margarine, no wonder she was asking about the Twerp, then. But, just for interest’s sake, what does all this have to little miss sneak-fest?”

“Her pokemon are considered the control group against pokemon captured using these ‘Shadow’ Balls,” he said. “They apparently have a similar effect to how Mahjong trains her pokemon.”

Jessie’s eye twitched, and she glanced over at Meowth and Wobbuffet again. “How similar, exactly?”

“Well,” he said, scrolling back to another graph. “The pokemon become more powerful, but they are made to forget any kind of love or affection. That makes them far more aggressive. More… violent, I suppose.”

Despite herself, Jessie leaned back, lips pursing.

It was in the Team Rocket motto; love was the wrong kind of evil and needed to be defeated. But… for Jessie at least…

But either way, Team Rocket was trying to gather an all-powerful army of pokemon. They needed to be willing to fight; to go against anyone who stood against them. They couldn’t afford such weaknesses as _love_. Trivialities like _loyalty_. _Friendship_.

She looked back at Meowth.

Meowth wasn’t their pokemon. Meowth was a part of their _team_. Wobbuffet, inscrutable as it was, was a part of their team.

Surely they wouldn’t be captured in Dark or Shadow or whatever Balls…

James turned around to meet her gaze, and she swallowed, both of them aware of everything they weren’t saying.

“Apparently,” he said slowly, “Giovanni isn’t yet convinced that this is a legitimately viable tactic. He’s allowing the team to test it in the field.”

“You don’t say,” she said, and then scoffed, turning her nose up. “Well then! It seems to me that we don’t have a choice. As Giovanni’s most trusted and loyal Rockets, it’s our duty to go check up on this little experiment. Make sure they’re not wasting our valuable time and money on some useless venture. I assume you have a location for their main research centre?”

He smirked. “That I do.”

“Good! Then it’s settled. The moment we get back from Galar, we head there. Make sure these rogue agents truly are working for the good of Team Rocket!”

James nodded and turned back, the movement pressing his shoulder against Jessie’s leg. She shuffled forward and over, her knee pushing into his side as she leaned down to see what he was doing. “So? Tell me more about this little base of theirs. What kind of disguises are we going to need?”


	17. (Not) Strong Enough (Yet)

Returning to mainland Kanto always felt somewhat foreboding. It was not where he was created, but he thought of it as the place he was _made_. It was in Viridian City that he had been trained by Giovanni. It was the wilds of Kanto where he had honed his psychic abilities. It was in the mountainous kingdoms that he had learned what power truly was.

He had been created on an island. That same island was where he believed he had been reborn; witnessing a human child become a martyr to stop a war between pokemon had been transformational. In that moment, when he realised its meaning, and what the pokemon had done for that human in return, he had recreated himself as a protector, and it was what he now lived for.

He should have stayed on his island, with his clone family. It was by returning to the mainland that he made himself a target for Giovanni once more. He put his family at risk.

After that, he had left them, but remained in Kanto. Hiding. Waiting. To have an excuse to leave had been welcome. But in the end… fruitless. He had taken an excuse to run from Kanto, and found an excuse to run from the other mewtwo. Cowardice both ways.

And now he felt like a coward again, afraid to set foot on Kantonian soil.

But the implications of what Ash Ketchum had told him… such things could not be ignored.

He couldn’t help returning to Meowthtwo and Pikachutwo first, though. Their enthusiasm to see him was comforting, as was their assurance that they were safe. They were close enough to Pallet Town that nothing would come after them – anything that might have wouldn’t be foolish enough to follow them to Oak Ranch. When he explained why he had returned, they agreed to talk to Ash Ketchum’s team. That way, even should the worst happen, MewTwo would have powerful allies to provide assistance.

It had taken him some time to find what he was looking for. Although he found a Team Rocket member by simply waiting above Viridian City, it was no one of importance. He was able to take the man’s pokemon away from him, but they were all damaged. ‘Shadowed’, as Ash Ketchum had called them. MewTwo didn’t know what to do with them, and so could only keep them contained for the short term. If he wanted to rescue them, he would need to know how Team Rocket had hurt them.

He couldn’t make the Team Rocket fool talk. All he heard was sneered posturing and claims that MewTwo would be no different to any other pokemon. He was forced to dig through the fool’s thoughts, and even then, all he learned was that orders came from a central base that he didn’t know the location of.

In the end, MewTwo wiped his memories and left him dangling from a tree in front of one of the human centres of authority.

And so now, he was standing on a hill overlooking the fields of regional Kanto. The collection of pokeballs he’d rescued from the Team Rocket fool hung from a bag on his hip. It was annoying, but necessary. He had closed his eyes and was spreading his consciousness out, searching for more of the darkness he could sense in the Shadowed souls by his side.

He couldn’t pinpoint it, but he could feel something pulling him southwards. With no other clues, he followed.

It had been three days since Ash Ketchum told him of the Shadowing. Who knew how long since it had begun happening.

MewTwo would not allow it to continue a minute longer than necessary.

* * *

As much as the trip to Galar and the Monarch Cup had come out of nowhere, Ash was pretty happy with how it had gone so far. It had been a real whirlwind of a few hours, and he was riding high on adrenaline and a renewed passion for pokemon battle.

“Dynamax energy seems pretty volatile, huh?” Goh commented as they headed away from the stadium. It was still bustling, emergency crews just arriving and the stadium guards rushing around to try and figure out exactly what had happened. Goh had wondered if they should stick around to tell people their story, but Ash preferred to head out. If anyone wanted to talk to them they’d come to the Pokemon Centre. Besides, Leon had seemed pretty okay with keeping them out of it. Ash doubted anyone’s opinion mattered more than his.

Leon… Ash’s shoulders hunched up under Pikachu at the memory of his confident smile. Leon was the newly crowned ‘Monarch’. The actual strongest Pokemon Trainer in the world.

Ash had imagined what it would be like to battle Lance, and sure, he’d had fantasies of beating him one day. But Leon had actually _done_ it. And Ash had been lucky enough to see it happen! The way Leon’s Charizard had just stood up to everything, that constant stream of attacks, the sheer power of it all…!

Now, Ash’s head was spinning. How would he have gone up against that kind of strength? What would he have done in Lance’s place?

And the way those pokemon had dyna- no, what had Leon called it? Gigantamaxing. Sure, Pikachu had done the same when the ground broke apart, and it had felt super weird, that power rippling up through his feet, but Gyarados and Charizard had seemed so used to it. Ash had no idea how to use it; how he could help Pikachu use that energy properly. But Lance and Leon had made it look so _natural_ …!

“To think, all that energy is somewhere down there, under our feet. Bubbling away, like lava!” Goh continued, staring down at the pavement beneath them. “I wonder why it exploded so suddenly. From the sound of it, no one was expecting it, so it probably doesn’t happen a lot. Do you think it was because of the match? Those two gigantamaxed pokemon battling might have upset the stability. But you’d think, if that was it, that it would have happened before, right?”

Gigantamaxing was crazy. It added so much defence, if you knew how to use it. Before it had gigantamaxed itself, Pikachu hadn’t been able to make a dent on that… what had it been called? A drednaw, or something? Ash looked sideways to Pikachu, sitting on his shoulder and quietly listening to Goh ramble. When Pikachu had gigantamaxed, it hadn’t really been able to move. It had barely been able to _balance_. That made them a lot weaker. But it had been too small to do anything at its normal size. Drednaw had just been too big. Would there have been some other way to overcome it? Some kind of strategy that could beat that much bulk? You’d have to be so careful. So specific about where you’d hit, and what attacks you’d use…

“Ash? Are you even listening?”

He jumped, jerking around to meet Goh’s frown. “Huh? Sorry, what?”

“I _asked_ what you thought about the dynamax energy explosion,” he said. “What do you think caused it?”

“Uh…” He scratched his cheek, struggling to think back and refocus. “Um, I dunno. Isn’t that just how the dynamax stuff works? Like how it was with Snorlax, last time we were here? It just seems to bubble up sometimes.”

“No way. If it was a normal thing, then they would’ve been more prepared, right?”

“Prepared for what?” he asked, still lost. “It wasn’t the dynamaxing that was the problem; it was Drednaw bein’ so upset and attacking the stadium.”

Goh blinked, his jaw abruptly shutting before he managed to speak again. “Oh, I… I forgot about that.”

“The dynamax energy is kind of everywhere,” he said, gesturing vaguely at the energy running beneath the Galarian earth. “I figure it just comes out sometimes, and if a pokemon’s… I dunno, if a pokemon matches that particular bit of energy, it dynamaxes. That makes sense with what we learned about Snorlax before, right?”

“Except that this time it was gigantamaxing, not dynamaxing,” Goh added, glancing at Pikachu. “Isn’t that what Leon called it?”

“Uh huh… dunno what the difference is, though…” Whatever it was, it had felt super weird. Pikachu was pretty tired after the battle, but not completely worn out, while Ash just felt kind of uncomfortable. When the power had rushed through him, reaching through to Pikachu, it had felt like itchy fire _inside_ his bones. His arms still ached with the memory. He wasn’t sure he liked it.

“Well, they seem bigger, at least,” Goh said thoughtfully. “And maybe more powerful? Though I don’t think that big size works as well for Pikachu as it does for naturally big creatures… And Leon seemed pretty surprised. I wonder if pikachu don’t normally dynamax – or gigantamax. I wonder if that’s why Professor Cerise sent us here all of a sudden – to learn more about how it works.”

He continued talking, wondering what Professor Cerise had wanted them to investigate so suddenly, and how dynamaxing worked for different pokemon. Ash honestly did try to pay attention. He knew it was important – new abilities were always important. And thinking about stuff like this was literally their job now.

But he couldn’t focus. He just couldn’t stop thinking about Lance and Leon’s battle. He’d never seen anything like it.

Not just the dynamaxing, though that was kind of cool. But the _style_.

One quick round… he was actually kind of amazed how big an event it had been, since the actual battle had been so short. Official matches had been getting shorter these last few years – even he’d noticed that. It was unusual for anything but a finals match to be all six pokemon, where most of his early leagues had been full teams in the quarter-finals at least. Now, it was more common to be able to get through most of a Conference with only three pokemon, and initial rounds tended to be just one on one. But he would never have expected a finals match between the two strongest trainers in the world to be just one round.

They hadn’t pulled any punches. The closest they came to testing each other was the first half, before they did the gigantamaxing. And then the real battle had begun.

And it had been so… so… _spectacular_. Yeah. That was the word. No moments of consideration. No pauses to give the pokemon time to breathe. But at the same time, there hadn’t been any crazy tactics or twists. It was just one attack and defence at a time. So much sheer power…

It almost made him dizzy, just thinking about it.

What would he do if he ever went up against Leon? How would he battle against that strength?

He didn’t really remember most of the walk to the Pokemon Centre, or dinner, and he collapsed into bed as soon as he could. Goh complained that it was still early back home, but that had never been a problem for Ash. He fell asleep to the sound of Goh and Rotom looking for gigantamax research articles.

But as cool as the new ability was, Ash dreamed only of new battle styles, and a strong opponent to chase down.

* * *

“Excuse me, Ash?”

He flinched, breath coming in sharp as he looked up from his breakfast. He’d woken up distracted, half-dreaming even as his body refused to sleep anymore. Since Goh would probably still be sleeping for a few more hours, he and Pikachu had headed down to breakfast early, with some vague intention to get in some training. But Ash kept zoning out.

He didn’t really remember what his dream had been about, but he knew it had been filled with fire that twisted along his bones. He was pretty sure he’d been battling – maybe Pikachu had been gigantamaxed… the only thing he could really remember clearly was a tall, imposing figure stepping up, bigger and more impressive than he could ever be.

“ _I’ll_ handle this,” it had said.

It was weirdly mixing up with his memories of Lance and Leon’s battle, making him feel…

They were just so powerful. So strong. How would he go against someone like that?

Ash was still working towards his goal – working as a Research Fellow was definitely teaching him a lot about pokemon. But it felt like ages since he’d had a real pokemon battle. Not fighting Team Rocket or Raids, but a proper competition, where skills and strategy counted more than dirty tactics and powerful hits. All his battle skills felt like they were going to that kind of desperate, rapid-fire fighting.

Pokemon Masters were supposed to be better than that. More heroic. More _noble_.

More like Lance and Leon, battling it out with all that style and strength.

He couldn’t even imagine himself like that. Even when he’d been in proper League Tournaments, with crowds of tens of thousands cheering for him, he’d never felt like Lance and Leon had looked in that stadium.

They were Pokemon Masters. He knew he didn’t measure up.

When he’d been a kid, he’d assumed that becoming a Champion would make him that powerful. That amazing. But when he’d won the Orange Islands League, and he realised it really just meant winning a fancy trophy, he realised titles were just that. Titles. To be a _real_ Champion, like Lance, was so much more than winning a bunch of battles.

Even now, when he’d won a proper league, he knew he wasn’t really a Champion. Professor Kukui had said it counted—that he was the most impressive trainer in Alola—but… compared to Lance… compared to _Leon_ …

He still had a really, really long way to go.

“I’m sorry,” Nurse Joy said kindly, “I didn’t mean to startle you.”

“Oh, uh, no,” he said, dropping his fork on his plate and sitting back to look at her properly. “Sorry, guess I was thinking. Good morning! How are you?”

“I’m wonderful, thank you for asking,” she said, and closed her eyes in a pleasant smile. “Since you just finished breakfast, I assume you’re on your way out?”

“Not yet,” he said. “Goh’s still asleep, I think. Is that okay?”

“Of course! We don’t make anyone check out before ten thirty,” she reminded him. “I just wanted to make sure, because there’s someone who wanted to see you before you left.”

“See me?” he repeated, glancing over to where Pikachu had paused its own breakfast. They exchanged a wary look before going back to Joy – they didn’t really know anyone in Galar yet, so it had to be about last night. “Should I go wake up Goh?”

“Oh, I don’t think that would be necessary. I would assume it’s champion business!” she said, and he blinked.

“ _Champion_ business?”

But Joy didn’t give him any further clues, even as she led him into the medical centre and through to the back rooms. He was a little worried when she took him into the recuperation wards, until she opened one of the doors and everything slotted into place.

None other than Champion Lance was waiting for him, leaning back against the bed with his arms folded. But he pushed off and turned to face him directly as Ash stepped into the room. “Hello, Ash. It’s been a while.”

“Lance!” he cried, while Pikachu gasped. They hurried into the room, but Ash quickly remembered himself and turned back to Joy to check. “This is who asked to see me?”

“That’s right!” she said with a laugh. “I must say, I was surprised! It’s all so clandestine, you two meeting in one of my back rooms!”

Lance smiled thinly. “Well, I didn’t want to draw any attention away from the match last night. Thank you, Nurse Joy.”

“Not a problem! I’ll let you get on,” she said, lifting a hand in farewell. “I’ll see you both later!”

She shut the door behind herself, but Lance waited for her footsteps to fade away before focussing on Ash properly. “I hear congratulations are in order; another championship under your belt,” he said, the curve of his mouth almost looking like a smile. “I wish I could have attended the Alola Conference – it sounds like you had some breathtaking battles.”

He grinned, taking the last few steps for a comfortable distance. “Sure did! There were loads of really cool battles!” he said cheerfully, and then pumped his fists in front of his chest. “But I was there last night, too! You were so amazing! Gyarados was incredible! You guys must have been training super hard!”

“Obviously not enough. Leon defeated us a little easily for my taste.”

“He’s crazy strong!” he agreed. “You both were. I can’t get it out of my head! The way you guys battled, and gigantamaxing? I’d seen dynamax before, but that was a whole different thing.”

“Yes… and I have to admit it’s not a technique that I’m as familiar with as I should be,” he admitted. “I’m not sure it works anywhere but Galar, but that’s just as well. It suits the Galarians.”

Ash blinked, but Lance didn’t bother to elaborate, only tilting his head in a slightly more familiar look. “Leon tells me you were responsible for stopping that rampaging pokemon last night. And that Pikachu gigantamaxed. I wasn’t aware that was even possible.”

“Pi-ika,” Pikachu laughed weakly, rubbing the back of its head, and Ash grinned.

“Us either. It really caught us by surprise! It was lucky Leon was there to tell us how to use it. We couldn’t even figure out how to attack properly.”

“I’m sure you would have managed. You always do. And I had a feeling you would help out; it was why I focussed on helping the people evacuate, instead of going to deal with the drednaw. Or, one of the reasons, anyway,” he added with an arched brow. “It probably wouldn’t have been a good look if anyone but the newly crowned monarch saved his people, would it?”

Ash raised his own eyebrow, already feeling the conversation slipping away from him. Was Lance saying he’d known Ash was in the crowd? How? And what did he mean that it wasn’t a good look if Leon didn’t save everyone? “Uh…”

“I actually came looking for you last night, but Nurse Joy said you’d gone straight to bed,” he continued, as if Ash hadn’t even reacted. “I wanted to thank you. Both for last night, and your help against Team Rocket recently.”

“My… wait, you know about that?”

Lance’s lips definitely twitched up in a smile this time, though it vanished quickly. “I’ve been having trouble getting straight answers out of the Gym Leaders, but we at least had Misty admit you loaned her a guard pokemon. I understand why none of them want to admit they’re having trouble, but it’s clear to the G-Men and Officer Jenny that Team Rocket are up to something, and it’s time someone stepped in,” he said, and then fixed Ash with a much more direct stare. “Though I’ve also heard that you had some Rockets come after you specifically because of it.”

Ash hesitated, struggling to keep up. They were on the other side of the world, and Lance had just lost the most important battle _ever_ , and he was asking about some lame Team Rocket scheme?

But then again… this was kind of Lance’s real job, wasn’t it?

Cynthia and Alder were the only real champions he’d ever met that seemed to have any kind of ‘down-time’, and even Cynthia was usually pretty busy organising some kind of event or another. Maybe this was how Lance dealt with loss – by picking up and focussing on work. Ash could admire that. He was always looking for his next challenge, after all. Lance’s challenges just happened to be international security.

“I dunno if I’d call it that. After all, they didn’t do anything that different. I mean, these other Rockets aren’t like Jessie, James, and Meowth, but it was still just Team Rocket tryin’ to steal pokemon.”

“But it _is_ different,” Lance prompted. “Officer Jenny said that you mentioned they were doing something unusual to their pokemon. That you’d found something called a Shadow Ball.”

Despite himself, Ash winced. Professor Cerise and the research team believed him, and they’d found some kind of evidence, but it still felt kinda crazy to be telling someone like Lance about weird energy stuff. Even if he kind of had proof now. “Yeah… they’re pretty creepy.”

He launched into the usual story, adding in what Professor Cerise had discovered from his readings, and also his theory on how it was a pretty simple fix, but that the research team weren’t sure they agreed. They all argued that something caused by a pokeball should need some kind of medicine at least.

Surprisingly, Lance’s only reaction to even that was a thoughtful hum. He’d folded in on himself a little as he listened, tapping his fist against his mouth in consideration. When Ash finished his explanation, Lance looked up under his eyebrows, running his thumb over his fingers as he slowly considered everything he’d been told.

“No one else has managed to reverse the Shadowing?”

Ash shook his head. “Just me and Dragonite.”

Lance glanced over at Pikachu, but if he saw anything in its gaze he didn’t show it. He lowered his fist to his hip and straightened up to meet Ash’s gaze again. “They call me a Dragon Pokemon Master, but I would never claim to truly understand their power. A dragonite is the most unknowable of them all,” he said. “It’s not impossible that your dragonite is using some kind of special ability to cure the Shadow Pokemon. You have always trained very unusual pokemon, Ash.”

Pikachu leaned a little closer to Ash’s cheek in absent comfort, but he didn’t acknowledge it, just made a face. “But I can fix it too. I thought maybe that was an aura thing, but it’s not like Dragonite’s a lucario, or even a fighting type. So it’s gotta be something else, right? Something simple.”

“Maybe,” he said. “But whether it is or not, I don’t think you should undervalue what you’ve done. Even if it _is_ just showing them enough kindness to break through some kind of brainwashing, such kindness is a difficult thing when the pokemon in question is trying to attack you. Cowards like Team Rocket would never have anticipated that kind of bravery.”

“You think so?”

“They have attacked others for less,” he reminded him, his eyes narrowing. “I know there isn’t any point in telling you to leave it to my G-Men, but you should be careful. And I’d like you to keep in touch. I’d like to know if you run into any more of these Shadowed Pokemon.”

He smiled, relaxing slightly. “Yeah, of course. I’ll take ’em to Officer Jenny, just like –”

“That isn’t what I meant.”

Ash paused, confused again, and Lance smiled wryly, reaching into a pocket. “The Orange Islands championship is really just a competition, and I know we didn’t really give the Manalo Conference the weight it deserved, so you never really got inducted into the formalities. But you are a Champion, Champion Ash. That entitles you to other Champions’ contacts,” he said, and pulled out a smartphone which he immediately began tapping at. “And they to yours.”

“My… what?”

Lance didn’t verbally answer, just moving close enough that Ash could see the screen of his smartphone. He wasn’t really sure what to think when he recognised a contact card with not only his name already in it, but also the Ketchum home phone number. “Hey, that’s…”

“Somehow I doubt your mother’s landline is the easiest number for me to reach you on. Can you give me a better contact?”

“A… better contact?” he asked. “Like the number to my rotomphone?”

“That would be ideal,” Lance said dryly, handing the phone over. When Ash just stared at him, he pointed to the screen. “Could you put it in there?”

“Uh… oh! Yeah. Yeah, sorry,” he said, almost flailing in his rush to comply. He could feel Pikachu straining itself not to laugh at him, and so had to fight down his blush as he quickly put in his new details. Once he’d saved it and handed the phone back, Lance quickly typed something in, and Ash’s rotomphone chirped from his pocket, reporting that it had registered new contact details.

“Thank you. You won’t believe me when I say I’ve been meaning to do that for years,” Lance said, putting the phone away while Ash checked his own to confirm it. Goh would flip if he told him. Ash apologised to Professor Kukui as he swore never to tell his partner about his newest phone contact. Thankfully, Lance didn’t seem to notice what was going through Ash’s head. “I admit, I usually leave my phone with my assistant, but he knows how to get in touch with me and will forward you on directly.”

“Uh… okay,” Ash shook himself as he stuffed his rotomphone back in his pocket, pulling a smile back into place. “I’m not great at staying in touch with people, but I’m trying to get better at it. I’ll let you know if anything comes up.”

He gave another faint smile. “I’d appreciate it. Hearing information about you fourth-hand can be confusing. For example, I imagine there’s a very good reason you came back to Kanto after the Manalo Conference, and the rumour mill just doesn’t know it.”

Ash blinked, and Lance tilted his head. “You’re a Champion. The first, and I know that means you would have had to have made the role your own, but I’m certain there’s a lot more you could be doing in Alola. Why return to Kanto?”

“Because I still need to get stronger!” he said brightly, and pumped his fist again. “I’m still aiming to be a Pokemon Master. That means I gotta keep learning, and part of that is travelling so that I can learn from all kinds of different people. I was really lucky that Professor Cerise offered me a job as a Research Fellow! I’ve been learning so much!”

Again, Lance didn’t immediately answer, just watching him for a few moments before finally asking, “It’s just to get stronger?”

“Uh huh! I knew it already, but last night sure showed me just how much I’ve still gotta learn,” he said. “One day, I wanna be strong enough to battle you and Leon!”

“One day, is it?”

“Yup! How cool would it be if I was the first person to break Leon’s winning streak?” he asked, and swung his arms up, playfully punching at the air. “One day, I’ll be strong enough to battle you, and I’m gonna win! And I’ll break Leon’s winning streak! One day, I’ll be the strongest Pokemon Master there ever was!”

Leon’s lips twitched upward, his eyes flicking over to the cheering Pikachu before looking Ash up and down. “Well, there’s nothing wrong with trying to better yourself, I suppose,” he murmured, and then added, “But if I might offer you some advice, Ash?”

“Yeah, sure!” he said, forcing himself to calm down so he could listen better.

“Don’t discount the strength you have,” he said. “Learning from other people is important—admirable, even—but don’t forget the things you already know. Don’t forget the lessons you’ve learned just because someone else does things differently.”

Ash paused, his fists lowering slightly. It sounded like the kind of advice Professor Kukui had given him. The reminder that he was Alola’s Manalo Champion. “What… What d'ya mean?”

“For example, Leon,” he said, and drew in a breath that looked vaguely uncomfortable. “This may sound like sour grapes, but even though he beat me, and is officially stronger than I am, I don’t believe his strength truly trumps my own.”

“You don’t?”

“Leon is a strong trainer, I don’t deny that. He’s what you might call a prodigy, and there is a reason he’s never lost a battle,” he said. “But by never losing, there are a lot of things Leon has never had the opportunity to learn. You said you want to experience all different kinds of strength? Leon has never done that. He claims he’s learned from every battle, and maybe he does takes tactics from some of them. But it is his own style that he thinks is superior. His own strength that he thinks is best. Always. He never thinks he’s done anything wrong, in a battle. One day, that’s going to hurt him.”

Ash frowned, recognising a backwards version of an old lesson. “I know I tend to screw up more when I get cocky.”

“Exactly. It’s worked for Leon so far, but I’m sure time will tell,” he said. “You say my battle with Leon showed you that you still have a long way to go, but I wouldn’t be surprised if we would have said the same thing if we’d seen you battle in Alola.”

“Me? I dunno about that!” he said with a laugh, but Lance just smiled wryly.

“At least consider it. And the next time we meet in Kanto, I’ll be proud to accept your challenge, Champion Ash,” he said. “But when we battle, it should be on our own terms. None of this one-round, dynamax showmanship. I want your strongest pokemon, and you will face mine. Pikachu, you will battle my Dragonite.”

Pikachu jerked up, eyes shining. “Pika?”

“I would accept nothing less. I also anticipate that sceptile I’ve been hearing so much about, Ash.”

He and Pikachu exchanged excited grins, fists twisting at the thought. “Alright! I can’t wait!”

Lance nodded, but his smile quickly faded into another intense look. “But for now, we both have other things to worry about. Be careful of Team Rocket. Let me know if anything more happens.”

“Team… oh, yeah,” he said, mind blanking as he abruptly remembered the point of the conversation. “Yeah, sure. I’ll keep an eye out.”

Lance continued staring at him for a few seconds, then let out a soft breath and stepped around him, heading for the door. “Until next time, Ash.”

“It was great to see you again! See you!” he said, twisting around to watch him go, and Lance spared them one last genuine smile before heading out into the corridor and away. Ash didn’t even really get a chance to wave, so he lowered the hand he’d raised, turning his head toward Pikachu.

“What d’you think all that was about?” he asked. “Since when does Lance care about Team Rocket? You think it’s because of the Gym Leaders?”

“Pika,” it agreed quietly, frowning at the door. “Pi-pika pikachu…”

“Yeah,” he said, thinking back over the conversation again. But even as most of it confused him, the moment he remembered Lance accepting his challenge, everything else slipped away. He thrust his fist in the air and then yanked it back down, nearly dancing on the spot. “But did you hear that, Pikachu? Lance said we could have a battle! A real battle! A real, full battle! Maybe even six on six!”

“Pika?” Pikachu gasped, and then waved its arms, already gushing about how Lance probably wanted their strongest team. Sceptile! Charizard! Infernape! Maybe even Greninja if they could find it!

“Hey, yeah! Oh, and maybe Lycanroc? You think he’d be okay if we used a Z-move?”

Pikachu bounced on his shoulder, thrilled at the idea. It was hard not to rush off into a training frenzy, just barely remembering that they were in Galar and waiting for Goh to wake up. They couldn’t focus on that right now.

Something in the back of his mind niggled, though, reminding him of everything else Lance had said. The idea that maybe he was forgetting lessons he’d learned before. That he was being reckless about Team Rocket.

But he shoved those thoughts aside. They really just proved the real point: that he still had more to learn. That was what mattered.

He wasn’t done yet.

He maybe never would be.

He’d just have to keep training until he was… right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, I wish I actually posted on tumblr, rather than just lurking around like a creep. I'd totally rant obnoxiously about all the big detailed AUs I shall never write, where Ash is an assistant coach to a disrespected team in the Galar battle league, and unknown rival to Leon, their differing approaches to pokemon training and battle influencing Hop, Gloria, and Victor in their battle to win big... It would go absolutely nowhere and I would have so much fun...
> 
> Oh well. We're heading toward the conflict now!


	18. (Not a) Chance

It didn’t feel like that long ago, but if he actually counted, it had been years.

Years since Cliff had been a scared, starving kid, stumbling on a broken ankle down a back street, trying to stem the bleeding from his lip. He knew he’d had parents once, and that it was their fault he was on the street now. He vaguely remembered a brother, maybe. Or maybe that had just been an older boy that had helped him out. It was all a little hazy. Spending days and weeks half-starved and half-concussed didn’t make for incredible recall.

What he remembered, clear as crystal, was the pair of shiny black boots that stopped in front of him. He remembered that clean, pressed suit. He remembered cufflinks. He remembered a silhouette, and a glinting smile.

“I saw your pokemon battle. You brought out a great deal of power from that rattata.”

“What’s it to you?” he’d spat. He’d been ungrateful and spoiled.

“I am what you might call an investor. I believe you have talents that may pay valuable dividends if properly applied.”

“What?”

“I’d like to offer you a deal. It is a one-time-only offer. Refuse, and I walk away, and you will never see me again. Accept and I will ensure you have food and a bed, and that you will never again be told to bow to ignorant fools as you were tonight.”

These days, he didn’t remember how he’d gotten hurt, but he was pretty sure it had been a dumb street fight. It had probably started as a pokemon battle – pitting wild city pokemon against each other was a fairly standard way of deciding pecking order for street kids. He was pretty sure, if he’d lost the match, then it was because the other guy had cheated. He’d probably started the fistfight. He’d definitely won it.

Cliff always won his fights.

But that didn’t mean he always got fed, or got away clean.

Giovanni had put an end to that. He’d reached out and taken Cliff in. He’d gotten him off the streets, made sure he was safe, and fed, and helped him become strong. He’d saved Cliff’s life, there was no doubting that. And he’d told Cliff about his vision.

The future Giovanni dreamed of was beautiful. A future where the strong could stand up, where they could protect the weak from their own foolishness. Where no child would go hungry. Where no one would ever feel lost and alone, because they would all be one force, marching toward Giovanni’s vision. A world where there was no fighting, no desperation… just a vision. A true, and perfect vision.

Cliff would give anything to see that vision come true.

But there were so many people who stood in Giovanni’s way. Small-minded fools that insisted on clinging to their petty debates and bureaucracy. Worse, they had power behind them. The power of governments, of massive organisations made up of pokemon trainers blinded by glory and meaningless accolades!

Cliff would tear them all down. Every last one.

So when Sierra had come to him with her idea, he’d jumped at the chance. Of course Giovanni couldn’t publicly condone such a risky move, but to attack the foolish organisations at their heart—to turn their own power against them—that was a perfect strategy! They could defeat the gym leaders, the power structures of the Eastern regions, and deliver them all to Giovanni’s feet.

It had been going perfectly. The gym leaders were arrogant, and vulnerable. Every day, they’d been moving closer to their goal.

Until that brat showed up.

The stupid, scrawny little brat that was cheating his grunts out of countless pokemon and humiliating their entire operation. Ash Ketchum. He was _nothing_.

Cliff wasn’t a patient man. The only thing stopping him from going after the runt himself was Arlo and Sierra’s assurances that they would get back at him in a better way with more time.

“The time is soon, Cliff,” Arlo said, staring down at his notes with his hands braced on either side of the keyboard. His red and black hair was hanging in his glasses, the light of the computer screen hiding his eyes. He didn’t look like the calm and put-together scientist Cliff had come to know him as. “Very soon. I have sent Mahjong back to Vermillion City, and she will inform us the moment an opportunity arises.”

“And what’s gonna be so special about this opportunity?” he demanded. “She already told us this side-liner isn’t a problem, and I’d like to see any of those Institute weaklings stand up to me.”

“Clearly you haven’t read my briefings,” he sneered. “Ash Ketchum is strongest when he has someone to protect. We need him alone; _that_ is when he is most vulnerable.”

“Fine. But then I can take him down, right?”

“I’m counting on it. Do not disappoint me, Cliff.”

He scowled, tightening his arms over his chest. He was not a disappointment. He was not weak. And this little brat didn’t have a chance.

* * *

He hadn’t stood a chance.

As the bus rolled into Vermillion City, Ash stared out the window, his eyes slightly glassy as he remembered Pikachu’s awkward, teetering steps on the battlefield. It had been too big. Too heavy. He and Pikachu specialised in fast movements and quick turns – you couldn’t do that when you were seven stories high. Meanwhile, Leon and Charizard were specialists at gigantamaxing. Charizard almost seemed _faster_ when it was huge. There was no dodging that, especially not when you were too big to take a step.

He needed to get stronger. So strong that he’d have a dozen plans to deal with that. A dozen ways to deal with speed and strength and power.

The only way to get stronger was battle. Battle in the Coronation Cup. He didn’t know how it all worked yet, but he was going to work his way up, beat everyone, and face off against Leon again. This time he would _win_.

Somehow.

“Wow, look at this weather forecast,” Goh said, jerking Ash out of his roundabout thoughts. “Looks like we’re in for a real cold front.”

“Will our backs be okay?” he asked without thinking, but Goh only gave him a quick look before deciding to ignore it as the bad joke it had been, instead raising his rotomphone so Ash could see a weird map of the Kanto coast line. It had lots of blue and green spots.

“The next few days are going to be freezing. We might even get some snow here in the city,” he said. “I wonder if that means we’ll see more ice-type pokemon.”

“Hm,” Ash tilted his head, trying to figure out what the map meant. “Hope it’s not too bad. Sableye wouldn’t have gotten very far in the last couple of days. It wouldn’t be very happy in the cold.”

“It’s a dark-type, it’ll be fine,” he said, waving the thought away. “I’m more worried about the bug-types. Cerise Park doesn’t get the cold winds or snow from outside, but it doesn’t really have heating, either. Maybe I should put them in their pokeballs for a while.”

“Why don’t you ask them?” he suggested.

Goh blinked and looked up at him again. “Ask them?”

“Yeah. They might like it,” he said, and lifted his arms to pump his biceps. “Like training under a waterfall, or running through the snow! It’s a challenge! Stamina and endurance!”

“Ah, of course,” Goh let his head tilt to the side with an amused sigh. “That does sound like something I should have expected from you…”

He grinned and thrust his arms out as best as he could in the narrow seats, imagining a good hard training session in the wind and cold. In fact… “Hey! I might do that after we check in with Professor Cerise! I want to see how Dragonite does in the cold. We’ll go for a run! Want to come?”

“A run?” he repeated. “What, you mean like… jogging?”

“Yeah! I know you don’t like coming with us normally, but it’s really fun! Gets the blood pumping, and your head clears, and it’s great!” he said cheerfully. “There’s really nothing like a good run!”

“Ah-hah… uh… well, maybe,” he said awkwardly. Ash wasn’t really surprised – Goh didn’t really like exercise that much. But he didn’t outright say no as he added, “Let’s see what Professor Cerise wants from us first. He might want a report on gigantamaxing, after all.”

Weirdly, when they did get back to the lab and reported on everything that had happened, Professor Cerise didn’t immediately ask about gigantamaxing, or Ash’s new wrist band, or even the drednaw. He instead focussed on the fact that they had met Leon.

“Did he seem very interested in you?”

“He was pretty curious about how Pikachu could gigantamax,” Goh said, looking over to where Pikachu was back on Ash’s shoulder again. It had sulked for most of the trip home, since Ash wouldn’t let it eat more snacks after gorging itself on berries and the tiny yummy things after their match with Leon. “Apparently it’s unusual for pikachu. And he kind of implied you normally can’t do it without the Dynamax Band.”

“But Ash could,” Professor Cerise said, glancing at him, but Ash just shrugged. The first time, it had pretty obviously been all about the dynamax energy that was everywhere. The second time, he had been wearing the band Leon gave him, so it was hardly a big deal. Professor Cerise hummed, setting his hand to his chin. “I wonder if that was why… It would have been an interesting test.”

“Test?” Ash repeated curiously, but the professor only blinked and then smiled vaguely.

“Never mind. I didn’t really expect much from your trip, but I hope it was exciting! We were very lucky to get those tickets, so I hope you learned a great deal!”

“Yeah! It was awesome!” Ash cried, and Goh nodded.

“And it was amazing to get the chance to talk to Leon,” he added. “It was so nice of him to help us out, and agree to battle Ash. Champions seem like really interesting people!”

He was kind of aware of all the adults in the room giving him side-glances, but Ash could only nod enthusiastically. “Leon is really cool. I can’t wait to battle him again!”

Professor Cerise made an odd, half-laughing kind of noise, and then set his hands on his hips. “Well, then. Thank you both for your efforts. It’s a bit late in the day for any new assignments, but you’re welcome to stay here in the lab. We’re looking into some of the sigils you recorded from the archaeology dig.”

Goh jumped at the chance, but Ash decided to pass. The golden city they’d found had been pretty, but it was obvious the pokemon had been there to protect it – there wasn’t anything more hidden under the sand that he cared about.

Besides, he’d been on a plane and a bus for like seven hours. He needed a little exercise to stretch his limbs.

But he hadn’t even stepped into the kitchen when he heard someone calling him. Mimey was halfway down the hall, looking vaguely relieved to see them. “Mistermis!”

He frowned and exchanged bewildered glances with Pikachu. Mimey was usually pretty busy with chores during the day – it was unusual for it to actually seek out Ash’s attention. “Mimey?”

It lifted its hand, beckoning him over. He didn’t really have any choice but to come closer.

“What’s up?” he asked, but rather than mime anything out, it gestured for him to follow as it turned and headed further down the hall. It didn’t stop until it had reached Professor Cerise’s study, and only gestured for them to remain silent as it carefully pushed the door open.

Everything looked normal and quiet, and at first, the only strange thing was that the room radiated cold. The weather Goh had warned about hadn’t really hit yet, so it was only a little cool outside. Even with the window open, it –

Ash did a double-take as he realised the window wasn’t only open. There was a familiar shape hovering outside it.

“Gengar!” he yelped. It had been staring out at the garden, but at his shout it spun around, shock in its eyes before anger overtook it. Pikachu stood up on his shoulder, ready to pounce, and Ash rushed into the room. “Hold on, Gengar, wait!”

Surprisingly, Gengar didn’t immediately attack the way it had last time. It growled, but looked away from them to focus back on the garden. Obviously there was something out there distracting it. Whatever it was, it was enough to keep it in place until Ash had rounded the desk. Only then did Gengar seem to notice how close he was. It gave him one last withering glare before dropping below the window and out of sight.

“Ah, no, wait!” he cried, but when he got to the window, it was to see Gengar slipping down into the ground. He huffed and clambered up onto the windowsill without thinking.

“Mime mime!” Mimey objected, but Ash didn’t have time to be polite. He vaulted out into the bushes, his hands landing on the colder earth Gengar had dropped into.

Weirdly, the coldness stayed, almost circling his fingertips for just long enough that Ash remembered ghost-types could possess people and maybe this had been a dumber idea than usual, before it dragged away from him. Despite himself, Ash’s head jerked up as if he could follow something he couldn’t see, while Pikachu leapt to the ground and started sniffing.

“Can you smell it, Pikachu?” he asked. “Do you think you can follow it?”

“Pi… pika!” it confirmed, but couldn’t exactly rush off. It had to move slowly through the bushes, concentrating hard on scents it wasn’t born to follow.

This had, they agreed, been a lot easier for Lycanroc.

* * *

“Damn it,” Mahjong muttered as she ducked behind a tree and peeked back. She couldn’t see the gengar anymore, but… _damn_ it!

After a very interesting note that the Pokemon League had given the Institute tickets to some international match, there had been no notes in Cerise’s computer files about Ash or the Shadow Pokemon for days. Mahjong had decided to sneak in and check his hand-written notes as well.

She’d only had enough time to confirm that no, Cerise had just apparently gone back to studying some lost golden city in Unova, when she’d realised she was being watched. The gengar from the garden had returned, glaring at her from the doorway of the study.

She knew it was wild. Knew it was probably harmless.

It was still creepy, and a sign she needed to leave before someone human noticed her.

The creepy factor had continued as she clambered out of the window and it silently hovered after her, those glowing red eyes staring right through her as she tried to sneak out of the garden. It made her move a little faster. That, in all honesty, made her sloppy. And then she heard Ash Ketchum shouting at something.

And now, none other than Ash himself was jumping out of the window she’d just exited.

Surely he hadn’t seen her. Surely he wasn’t chasing her.

Damn it!

She yanked herself back behind the tree, debating options. She could run. She was in the tree line. She could definitely make her way back to the wall and climb back out. She could scale a tree and try to stay hidden. Maybe if she just stayed out of his way, he’d give up and go back to the house. She could claim she’d heard he was working for Cerise Institute and wanted to see his pokemon. No, no, that would be a bad play. That would get _some_ kind of police called by someone.

Maybe he didn’t know she was there. Maybe he hadn’t seen her. Maybe…

She chanced a look back. He had emerged from the bushes, following his pikachu across the manicured lawn.

Maybe… if she was careful, she would get away with this. She slowly stepped back from the tree, ready to turn and run the moment something happened.

Less than four steps out, a purple shape rose up a few metres in front of Ash, and she froze. It paused a moment, obviously waiting for Ash to notice it, and then turned to lock those red eyes back onto her again.

“What do you have against me, you stupid ghost?” she mumbled. She couldn’t see from the distance, but she was certain it was grinning at her.

Behind it, Ash and Pikachu had begun running, obviously intending to chase it, and Gengar rushed back down into the ground, but not before beginning an obvious beedrill-line for her.

“Son of a…!” She stomped her foot and spun, sprinting for the garden wall.

Infuriatingly, it seemed Ash was faster. And judging from the shouts, Gengar was making it easy, popping up every so often to make sure Ash caught sight of it again, just long enough to keep him on the path.

Mahjong spotted the stone wall, heard Ash’s yells, and knew she had to make a call. If she was caught, she’d need an excuse. She’d need a reason to be there. And as much as Ash seemed to buy her fangirl persona, there was a line between fangirl and stalker and actually being on private property probably crossed that line. She swore under her breath with each step and sprang for the stones, scrambling up as quickly as she could.

“There! Keep up with it, Pikachu! Gengar, I said wait!”

She wasn’t going to make it. She would just reach the top of the wall, but no way she could vault it without breaking a leg! She’d get stuck at the top and he’d see her and he’d ask what she was doing and…

Wait. Wait, wait, wait, that could work. That would do. It’d be fine. Fine, fine, fine. Fine!

She hauled herself up the last bit and spun around, letting her wide eyes and gasping breath do the work for her as Gengar came to a halt at the base of the wall and Pikachu burst out of the tree line behind it.

“Oh, my gosh!” she cried, grabbing her chest, and Ash almost fell over as he ran out after Pikachu, unable to look up and focus on Gengar at the same time.

She couldn’t have caught her breath if she tried, but that was okay because it only made her look more startled as she stared down at Gengar. It glared back up at her, its grin vengeful. She had no idea what she’d done to tick it off so much, but she swore she would come back _papered_ in cleanse-tags next time.

“It’s you!” Ash said, before looking back down at Gengar. “Is this your gengar?”

“What? No!” she said. “Wow, you guys scared me! What are you doing here?”

“Uh – hang on,” he said, extending out a hand. “What was all that about? Gengar –”

“Geeeenn,” it hissed at him, and shot Mahjong one last furious glance before vanishing. She felt the cold of it cascade out over the wall before fading away, leaving her alone with Ash and Pikachu. The mouse immediately looked up again, cheeks sparking like she was to blame for the whole debacle.

Which, from its perspective, was completely unfounded. She was coming back with cleanse-tags on every last inch of her body, and maybe some actual spiritual wards while she was at it. She was going to _exorcise_ this garden. Making the obnoxious little rat mad at her… this was a complication she did not need.

“Wait! Gengar!” Ash cried, staring around helplessly. “Gengar, come back! Just tell me what’s going on! Gengar!”

Soft touch. Mahjong took the time to regain her breath and calm down. Unlike Pikachu, Ash wasn’t at all focussed on her. He didn’t know she’d been in the garden, let alone the institute. Okay. Okay, okay, okay, she could do this. Okay.

By the time Ash had given up on Gengar and looked back up at her, Mahjong was pretty confident her flushed cheeks would look more embarrassed than like she’d been running for her life a second ago. She tried a smile. “Did you know that gengar?”

“Uh, kind of. It doesn’t belong to anyone in the Institute,” he said, frowning. “What are you doing up there?”

“Oh, well… I’ve always admired this house,” she said with a cutesy smile. The lie would have worked better if she’d been on a different fence, but hopefully he wouldn’t be able to tell she could barely see the roof from here. “I just love to look at it. I thought I might get a better view from up here. What are _you_ doing here?”

“Us? We live here,” he said. “I’m a research fellow for Professor Cerise.”

“Professor Cerise?” she repeated. “Who’s that?”

Before Ash could answer, Pikachu scrambled up his body and right up onto his head. The weight obviously made it harder for him to look up at her, while the height gave her a much better view of Pikachu’s entirely unimpressed stare. _It_ didn’t believe her.

“Oh, uh, Professor Cerise owns this place. It’s the Cerise Institute,” Ash explained awkwardly. “If you want to have a look around, we could give you a tour, I guess. Pikachu, could you…?”

Mahjong internally flailed for excuses. “Oh, no, I couldn’t… that would uh, spoil the mystery!” She had _not_ put enough thought into this persona. “It’s no fun if you just find out stuff like that!”

“Oh, yeah, you like to earn information, right?” he asked, and she blinked. Yes. Yes, that would do nicely.

“Yeah! Everything in life’s a gamble, but I always pay my dues!” She leaned forward with a flirtatious grin. “Besides, if _you’re_ giving away information, I bet there’s a lot more I’d like to know than some silly old house!”

He couldn’t really look at her past his hat and the scowling pikachu on top of it, but what she could see was a blank stare. Which was good – confusion was always good.

“Pikachu, seriously, just –” Ash grunted, apparently giving up on Pikachu being nice about this. He reached up and pulled it down into his arms so he could look up at her properly. “That’s better. I’m glad we got to see you again. I’ve been thinking a lot about your battle with Goh.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, and about your pokemon,” he said. “They seemed kinda… I dunno, I’m still pretty curious about how you trained them. I was wondering if you might like to have a battle with me.”

No, as a general rule, she would not. “What’s the wager? My name again?”

He chuckled. “Nah! It can be like when you battled Goh! He didn’t have to give you anything when he lost, right?”

“You’d be surprised what I got out of that,” she said. “And I never battle for nothing.”

“Okay,” he said, and shifted Pikachu to one arm so he could set the other hand on his hip. “Well, how about this? If I lose, I’ll give you a tour of Cerise Institute!”

Damn it again. She had to look up at the house, her persona tempted even as she wanted to get the hell out of there. “And if I lose?”

“Then you get to tell me about your training strategy!” he said. “I think I’d like to know some more about it.”

She had really been hoping he’d let her go with a name. She could make one up. Maybe Danielle Pine, or something.

“What do you say? If you give me a few minutes to go get another pokemon, we can do a three-on-three battle,” he suggested, then chuckled and lifted his hand toward the back of his neck. “Though I’m not sure Mimey would be too excited about it…”

“Oh, I don’t know,” she said, looking up at the house again and then back over her shoulder. “I don’t really have time…”

“Then how about one-on-one?” he asked. “I just got back from Galar – seems like they do one-on-one all the time, so I’d like to practice battles like that a little!”

Mahjong hesitated, kicking her heels against the wall, but ultimately couldn’t think of a good reason not to accept. She tried to sound more longing than reluctant as she pointed out, “I won’t have time to pay out the wager, no matter what the outcome.”

“That’s okay! We can settle another day!” Ash said brightly, and she knew she wasn’t getting out of it. She forced a grin.

“Okay. Sounds like fun! And I can’t deny I have always wanted to battle with you, Ash,” she said, and flicked Liepard’s ball out from her sleeve. “I’m guessing you’ll use Pikachu?”

“Sure will!” he said, and threw Pikachu up. With a cheer, it somersaulted, tail slapping against Ash’s outstretched hand before it landed, legs spread and grinning up at her.

“Well, then,” she said, and abruptly threw the ball at Pikachu. “Liepard, you know how this goes!”

Some trainers liked to think that if they waited long enough, and kept an eye out, they could avoid Fake Out. So she was quietly pleased when Liepard emerged with claws already extended, aimed directly for Pikachu’s head. It squeaked and ducked, allowing Liepard to land directly behind and slam its tail down over Pikachu’s back. Pikachu shrieked in pain and Ash winced around an awkward laugh.

“Not pulling punches, huh? That’s just how we like it! Get out of there as soon as you can, buddy!” he called, but of course it wasn’t possible. Pokemon were always stunned after Fake Out.

“Play Rough,” Mahjong ordered, and Ash had to stumble back out of the way of the sudden burst of violence, cringing at Pikachu’s yelps and grunts.

But eventually the flinch wore off and Pikachu was able to leap clear of the dust cloud, ruffled and grumpy but clearly still ready to fight.

“You okay, buddy?” Ash called as Liepard slunk back toward more open grass. Pikachu coughed, and then shook itself with a determined growl. Ash grinned and settled into a matching stance. “Okay! This is great! I was hoping we’d get a chance to meet Liepard again! That tail is super strong!”

“Pi- _ka_!” Pikachu spat, and Liepard paced away, looking between Ash and Mahjong as it waited for the next move.

She absently pushed back a pigtail, debating how to play the match. She didn’t really want to win, earning a tour that would only make her more recognisable to anyone inside the Institute, but she also didn’t really want to lose and have Ash interrogate her training methods. This was annoying.

“Well, it can’t catch us out with Fake Out again,” Ash said, and flung out his hand. “Okay, Pikachu, let’s do this! Quick Attack!”

“Dodge it,” snapped Mahjong.

There was a brief pause as Pikachu seemed to pull back before it shot off, too fast for Mahjong to see. All she noticed was a burst of lightning that nearly knocked Liepard off its feet before rebounding off a tree. Liepard tried to leap out of the way, but the lightning caught its back legs and sent it spinning head over tail to land, hard, on its back. It quickly rolled upright again, back at the ready before Pikachu had even slid to a stop.

“Wow! That was a great recovery!” Ash said brightly, clenching his fist. “You guys must have done loads of training to do that so easy! But you won’t stop us! Pikachu, let’s go with electro-web!”

“Break through with Fury Swipes,” she shot back, and the two pokemon jumped. Pikachu leapt into the air, electricity forming up into a tight ball on its tail, while Liepard extended its claws in preparation for the slash. The moment the ball left Pikachu’s tail it splintered, and Liepard’s first swipe broke through the net like paper.

“Whoa! Those are some sharp claws! Stop them with Iron Tail!” Ash added, and Pikachu span in mid-air, tail shining solid silver as it came up to meet Liepard’s second swing. Claws met metal with a horrible screech, Pikachu easily fending them off once, twice, and then Liepard leapt back on the third. Pikachu landed with a satisfied smirk, and Ash grinned, raising his fist triumphantly. “Pretty obvious you’ve got us matched up close, so let’s see how you do with some range! Pikachu, jump back and give ’em a Thunderbolt!”

“Sucker punch!” Mahjong ordered, but too late. Even as Liepard’s tail snapped out, Pikachu was already springing back, tails clearing each other within an inch. From her place up on the wall, Mahjong couldn’t quite see Pikachu slap its cheeks in preparation, but she could see the tail and ears go up, and knew she was in trouble. “Dodge it!”

Liepard tried to rush backward, but the thunderbolt was too fast and much too powerful. It caught up, and Liepard yelled out, thrown back from the blast.

“Electroweb, Pikachu! Pin it down!”

“Move!” Mahjong yelled, slamming her fist against the wall, but it was no good. Liepard hadn’t even managed to lift its head before the web lashed out and over, forcing Liepard to cower back against the ground to avoid being shocked. Mahjong grit her teeth, debating forfeiting the match—better to surrender than lose—but wasn’t given time to decide before Ash threw out his arm again.

“Finish it off with one more Iron Tail!” he called, and Pikachu ran forward, tail shining bright again.

“Fury Swipe! Get out of there! Sucker Punch!” Mahjong shouted desperately, and Liepard tried to obey, but the first movement sparked with electrical energy, and it cringed back with a yowl of pain. There was no escaping as Pikachu’s tail came slamming down against Liepard’s vulnerable flank. Clouds of dust and power exploded out, and Mahjong hissed through her teeth. The battle was probably over.

It was more annoying when you hadn’t specifically planned for the ending.

But when she looked down, Ash was still waiting, watching, even as Pikachu jumped back to join him, both of them ready for another round. Unsurprisingly, when the dust cleared, it was to show Liepard knocked out, and only then did Ash relax.

“Alright! Nice work, buddy!” he said, lifting his hand again, and Pikachu leapt up to slap it with its tail again.

“Pikapi-ka!”

Mahjong sighed, lifting Liepard’s pokeball. “As should have been expected,” she said, but Ash hurried over, blocking her return beam with a hand.

“Hang on! I want to thank Liepard for the battle!” he said, and both she and Pikachu blinked at him.

“What?”

“Piika?”

“Well, it put in a really good fight! And I might not see it when you come back, right?” he pointed out. His smile was kind of strange – his eyebrows drawn together despite his broad grin. It almost felt like a challenge. “Just a minute, okay?”

Pikachu wandered over to join him, gaze flicking between him and up at Mahjong. She, in turn, could only stare blankly as Ash turned and knelt down over her pokemon.

“Hey, Liepard. Thanks so much! You really put in a hard battle. Really had us on our toes!” he lied. Mahjong’s eyes narrowed, but Ash didn’t turn around, and she couldn’t see his expression as he continued, “You’re really strong. That tail of yours, and those claws? I was really worried during that first Play Rough, you know? Thought you had us in two moves!”

Liepard was struggling to its feet, and it looked up past Ash’s shoulder toward her, confused, until Ash somehow brought it back to him. Whatever it saw seemed to only confuse it further, and it ducked its head and tail, green eyes widening slightly.

“You’re a really impressive pokemon,” Ash said, and slowly extended a hand toward it. As it had been taught, Liepard cringed back, but not far enough to stop Ash from gently touching its head, or smoothing his fingers down its ears to its back. Liepard froze, barely blinking as Ash petted it like a child’s meowth.

If Mahjong hadn’t been in character, it would have been easier to object, so she just forced a giggle and asked, “Do you always pet your opponents? Your own pokemon must get jealous!”

Both Pikachu and Liepard looked up at her, and she could swear Pikachu’s eyes narrowed. Its ears definitely went back. And then it abruptly swung around, ears and tail rising as it said something suspiciously cheerful. Liepard stared back at it blankly.

She didn’t understand pokemon speech, but she knew when she was being defied.

“I don’t always,” Ash said, heedless of their pokemon. “But I just wanted Liepard to know I think it did a great job. I don’t get the feeling it noticed. So thank you for the battle, Liepard! I really hope we get to meet again someday!”

“L-lie… pard,” Liepard replied awkwardly. “Lie… lie…”

“I can’t wait to see how much stronger you’ll be then!” he said, and Pikachu chirruped something that sounded like an echoing cheer. Liepard’s eyes almost seemed to be shining with tears.

“L-l-lie…”

What the hell was going on? Liepard was one of her most well-trained pokemon. It was aloof, and knew better than to fall for some soft words and smiles. And yet here they were, only a few minutes after a battle, and Ash had it stammering like a newly hatched purrloin!

Wait. No. _Wait_.

She’d seen this, hadn’t she? Cubone… and the reports of the others… no… No! It wasn’t – It was absolutely possible, wasn’t it?

“Excuse me, this is real sweet and all,” she said with another forced laugh, “but can I return my liepard now please? I’d like to get it to the Pokemon Centre some time today!”

She still couldn’t see Ash’s face, so she didn’t know what he was doing as Liepard looked up at him like he held the moon and stars. But eventually, he stood up and stepped back, and after another moment he turned to the side, allowing her to extend her pokeball and return Liepard.

“You know,” Ash said, looking up at her from under his cap, “I’ve met a lot of trainers over the years who think that pokemon training is just about making your pokemon powerful. Giving them lots of really strong attacks, and making sure they’re really fast, and really sturdy.”

“Oh, have you?” she asked, shrinking the pokeball so she could clench it in her fist.

“But I don’t think that’s nearly as important as working _with_ your pokemon,” he said. “They have to know that you believe in them. That you care, and that whether they win or lose, you’re _still_ going to care about them.”

It took every bit of actor’s skill that she had to keep her smile in place. “That’s a really sweet idea! You’re so nice!”

“You think so?” he asked. “So you don’t think that’s true? What do you think the most important thing in training is? Strength?”

“Nothing like that… I just make sure that they know the truth! All my pokemon know the truth,” she said brightly. Maybe a little bit of herself slipped out as she explained, “Win or lose? It doesn’t matter. They can be as strong or as weak as they like. But it _doesn’t_ matter. None of it matters.”

She saw Ash’s fists clench. “Nothing matters?”

“You and me? Our pokemon? No. That’s why I’ll only battle for a wager,” she said. “I don’t want to waste my time on pointless things, so I make sure I get something I can use out of every battle.”

He didn’t immediately answer, just staring at her quietly for a second before asking, “What about when you lose? What’d you get out of this one?”

“Well… we made a deal, didn’t we? That you’d ask me about my training style,” she said, and swung her legs up and over the other side of the wall. “I don’t have time to go into it now, so I guess what I got was a guarantee I’ll see you again. And I do so want to see you again, Ash. So goodbye! Until next time. Maybe it’ll matter then.”

And with that, she hitched herself off the top of the wall, starting the quickest climb down that she could manage. She had to get out of there. She had to make sure he hadn’t unshadowed Liepard. She had to make that opportunity Arlo wanted.

She had to get away before those deceptively sharp eyes of his could see any more of the real her.


	19. (Un)Familiar

Following the darkest rot, Mewtwo had found some kind of facility. It looked like the stadiums the humans sometimes gathered in for competitions, but the open space was dominated by what appeared to be a racetrack.

One of the few skills Mewtwo did not possess was invisibility (it was a coward’s skill anyway), and so he had no choice but to hover above the buildings, trying to observe from a distance. But he saw nothing to explain the deep, dark wrongness that emanated from the place. Humans in Team Rocket’s black uniforms scurried from building to building. They came and left. Few pokemon were seen, but Mewtwo knew they were there, somewhere.

At night, he dared to move closer, where they would not see him. Close enough to hear scattered surface thoughts, but he couldn’t tell which to focus on.

At least, not until a flash of white caught his eye, and he turned.

 _Meowthtwo,_ he almost called out, but stopped himself when he recognised humans and a wobbuffet with it. It was not, he realised after a moment, his family member, but the meowth it had been cloned from. And the humans were… yes, he knew them, too. They were the Team Rocket agents that followed Ash Ketchum and tried to steal Pikachu.

They were sneaking through the brush around the facility.

“Your family used to work here?” Meowth asked, but the male waved the thought away.

“Oh, no, it wasn’t work. My mother kept rapidash and ponyta. They’d enter competitions.”

“Like Contests?” the female asked.

“Nothing so coordinated. Some were racers, others would do decoupage.”

“Gesundheit,” Meowth said, and the male thanked it while the female gave it a withering look.

“He wasn’t sneezing, you cretin. Decoupage is like modelling, but for pokemon!”

The banter continued until they had reached the final gate, and the humans hooked their fingers into the wire, crouching down as the whole group peered at the buildings. Mewtwo lowered himself behind them, listening to surface thoughts.

It seemed Meowth and Wobbuffet believed this to be a standard scheme: another attempt to get into Giovanni’s graces by joining a high-risk-high-reward initiative. They would sneak in, disguise themselves as existing agents, and ingratiate themselves to the leaders.

The humans knew otherwise. They were here to try and bring the operation down.

Neither were admitting it, as seemed normal for this group. If asked, even by each other, they would claim they were just trying to ascertain whether this facility was truly working for Giovanni’s success. But their thoughts couldn’t lie so well. They knew enough to be disgusted, and wanted to see it fail.

So Ash Ketchum had been correct. This facility was somehow damaging pokemon – turning them into emotionless weapons. ‘Shadowing’, they called it.

These two humans did not want the same thing to happen to Meowth or Wobbuffet.

Selfish, perhaps, but Mewtwo expected little else. It would be useful for his purposes.

He silently reached out, forming a connection with the humans’ minds. Nothing controlling, but just enough that he would be able to easily follow and reconnect with them as they moved into the facility. They would be his scouts, ensuring the coast was clear before he entered.

Once they found a way in, there would be little stopping him from destroying this cursed place.

* * *

Inside the facility, in the beautiful conference room that overlooked the dark coastline, Sierra was having what she would later describe as a trying conversation.

She was in a conference call with what she had previously considered her best agent. Mahjong was rarely emotional, so the expression on her face wasn’t desperate or panicked. But it was definitely concerned. “Can pokemon cry?”

“I can’t say I’ve seen it, so I don’t believe so,” Sierra said levelly. “But I have also never seen a pysduck swim and yet by all accounts, that can happen. Why?”

“That’s the only thing I can think of when I look at Liepard,” she said, and the screen shifted to show Mahjong’s signature pokemon hunched against a tree and avoiding looking at anything. It was curled in on itself, ears flat against its head, and its eyes did seem to be very wet.

Sierra arched an eyebrow and waited for Mahjong to return the camera to herself. “Did something happen?”

Mahjong reluctantly admitted, “I had a battle with Ash Ketchum. I couldn’t avoid it.”

“That was careless,” Sierra observed, but Mahjong’s only response was a slow blink before she continued.

“After the battle, he… did something to Liepard. I’m not sure what; I couldn’t see. He seemed to… he complimented it. Petted it. I’m not sure. But ever since then, my pokemon has looked like this,” she said, and shook her head. “I don’t know what it is. I tested its power, and it’s still as strong as ever. Its Sucker Punch can still splinter rocks. But it looks like this. And it won’t look at me. It won’t meet my eyes when I take it by the head. And it hesitates before following orders.”

Sierra’s eyes narrowed. “But it does follow them?”

“Yes,” she said, and scowled over her shoulder. “It’s acting like a disobedient child. I don’t know what he’s done to it.”

“Nothing, from the sound of it,” Sierra said bluntly. “It still has the same amount of power, and it still follows your orders. Why are you concerned?”

“Because this isn’t how I trained my pokemon to be,” she insisted. “My pokemon know better than to act like this.”

“Humans and pokemon are more similar than you think. Disobedient children are only disobedient for attention,” she pointed out. “Ignore it. This is a training issue. As long as the power levels are fine, then all this proves is that natural shadowing is more resilient.”

Mahjong did a small double take, her brows furrowing in confusion. “What?”

“From your report, every other Shadowed Pokemon Ash Ketchum gets a hold of is completely restored to its original state,” she pointed out. “Natural shadowing, as we’ve done with your pokemon, takes longer, but clearly his manipulation wasn’t as successful. Therefore, it proves natural shadowing is more resilient. As I suspected.”

For a few seconds, Mahjong just stared at her, before turning to look back at Liepard. She didn’t seem completely convinced, but it would have been unusual for her to argue. She took a breath and nodded. “Fine.”

“Now,” Sierra said coolly. “Was there something else?”

Again, Mahjong hesitated for a few moments, as if she did have something more to say but wasn’t willing to do so. In the end, she just took another breath and refocussed. “Please tell Arlo and Cliff that I’m ready to enable their opportunity. There’s a snowstorm headed for the coast and I’m going to have Weavile freeze the Cerise Institute’s hot water systems. It will shut the building down for a few days, and it’s likely that they’ll send the Research Fellows away. If they time it right, they should be able to get Ash on his own.”

“Risky. What if they just send him on another research trip?”

“I don’t think they’re ready for anything new yet,” she said, her tone flattening slightly. “Between our recent attack and the prior trip to Unova, Cerise doesn’t seem to have had time to move on to anything else.”

Sierra gazed at her silently for a few moments, considering further critique. Mahjong was usually reliable, but this call had proven how easily she could be shaken. It was a weakness, and not something Sierra had time for.

But the decision was made for her as her wrist communicator beeped, notifying her that Arlo had called Cliff. Apparently something had tripped the perimeter alarms. Normally security wasn’t Sierra’s concern, but it seemed like all of her team were losing their sense of control. Clearly it was time for her to take a more active hand in all of their lives.

“Fine. I’ll let them know. Stay out of sight this time, unless you would rather I find a different way to manage your pokemon.”

Mahjong gave her a long look, and then nodded, a silent acknowledgement before she cut the feed. It was a childish and disrespectful move, but Sierra had never had the time for such nonsense. She turned off the meeting and stood up. Clearly she was the only one who knew how to do their job around here.

* * *

There hadn’t been any memories.

Staring at his rapidly cooling dinner, Ash struggled to remember something. A field, a cave, a different purloin, another trainer, _something_ … but there was nothing there. When he’d reached out to touch Liepard, there had been that same rush of something that he’d felt with every Shadowed Pokemon, clenching all the muscles in his arm, but there hadn’t been any images, smells, or sounds. Not even an idea. It was all just…

Liepard hadn’t had anything. Nothing to remember. Nothing to help it break past that block he knew was inside its heart.

He had no idea whether he’d been able to do anything for it. The only thing he’d learned from battling Mahjong was that Liepard didn’t care about the battle because…

Because maybe Mahjong was right.

The outcome hadn’t mattered.

Nothing mattered.

Not to Liepard. What could possibly make it care about a win when it had never had anything else worth caring about?

It was a horrible thought, and he was really hoping that he was wrong. Maybe the weird feeling in his arm had been unrelated to touching Liepard – just a weird muscle spasm or something. Maybe it had been like when he touched any other pokemon. There had been no rush of memories because there was no block to work past. Not because there were no memories to see. Everyone had some good memories.

He pushed at his dinner with his fork, sliding it across the plate so the sauce spread out in a messy line.

Sometimes good memories were the only thing that kept you going. That was all there was sometimes: knowing that no matter how bad things were, there had been good times before, and they could be good again. Ash believed that. He’d believed that when his lungs burned, and when cold froze deep in his veins, and when fire baked his insides, and when there was nothing but silence and a lack of sensation, he’d believed with everything he had that good things could happen again if he just took one more breath.

It could be hard sometimes, remembering what the good things were. He understood that. When he kept screwing up, or saying dumb things, or getting into dumber fights, sometimes even he couldn’t remember a single thing that was worth remembering.

Sometimes he’d sit alone, not even wanting to be near Pikachu, because he didn’t deserve its support. His friends called it sulking, and it probably was, but… In those moments, none of the good things seemed that important. They just seemed shallow. Fake, even.

But they _weren’t_. They mattered. They were so important, and he needed to remember each and every one.

Everyone had a good moment.

He had to believe that.

“You’re not still thinking about that match with Leon, are you?”

Ash jerked his head up, a little shocked by Goh’s grin. “Huh?”

“You’re hopeless,” he said. “You’re going to enter the World Championship, right? You’ve got a way forward! So you can take some time out and think about something else for a few minutes!”

It took him a little while to figure out what Goh was talking about, but he did try and get excited about it once he had. A new challenge, a new adventure – it was all so cool!

But Liepard… Mahjong…

And his own weird… whatever the memory-thing was. Why had he felt that weird rush, but found nothing? He looked down at the fork in his hand with a frown. Normally he didn’t bother trying to work out any of the weird things he could do. They weren’t as important as pokemon training or battling or even research. But maybe this time… if it helped him understand what had happened with Liepard…

“Actually, Goh,” he said slowly. “I was wondering if maybe you wouldn’t mind helpin’ me out with something.”

* * *

Cerise Park was normally very dark at night – they turned off the lights so that the pokemon could sleep or wake as they would out in the wild. So when they turned on the walkway lights, most of Goh’s pokemon poked their heads out just to see what was going on.

“I can’t say I’ve ever heard of anything like this, Ash,” Goh said as they walked out onto the mezzanine. “And if Professor Cerise hasn’t come up with any ideas, I don’t know if I will, either.”

“That’s okay,” he said. “I don’t know if I want to know exactly what it is.”

“So what do you want to know?”

Honestly, Ash wasn’t sure. But while he was normally fine with not understanding the stuff he could do, he was pretty sick of not knowing whether he needed to brace himself for a rush of… _something_ every time he touched a pokemon that seemed out of sorts. He hadn’t gotten anything from that jealous piplup, though he had felt the urge to hold it a lot more than he’d probably needed to. He never got anything from Pikachu, but he always knew what Pikachu was thinking anyway, so that probably didn’t mean anything. And happy pokemon never did anything but make Ash feel happy too.

“I guess maybe I just want to see if I can make it happen on purpose,” he said, stepping up to the railing where he could look down at the river. Pikachu jumped down onto the rail beside his hand, and Scorbunny leapt up to hang beside him. Below, several water types and Sandile were coming close to peer up at him. “I want to know what’s causing it, you know?”

“No, but…” Goh sighed loudly as he stepped up to Scorbunny’s other side. “I guess I understand why you’d want to figure it out. I dunno, Ash. You’re kind of a mystery, you know?”

He frowned. He’d decided he didn’t really like it when Goh said stuff like that, but he couldn’t exactly argue it right now. “Well, anyway… let’s just see what happens.”

Thinking that it would probably be easier with a grumpier pokemon, he decided to start with Tentacool, who obediently drifted over from the middle of the river when Goh called it. Nothing happened when Ash reached out, smoothing his hand over its rubbery head, or even when his fingertips brushed its jewel. Tentacool just gazed at him quietly, and eventually bubbled something to Pikachu, who explained they were trying for a kind of move.

Tentacool rose a little higher out of the water, lifting a tentacle to gently pat Ash’s arm. He got the distinct feeling it was trying to reassure him that humans weren’t supposed to do such things.

While Ash fought the urge to snap that he’d done it before, and could therefore do it again, Goh dropped down into a crouch beside him. He curled his arms around his knees and looked at Ash sideways, his expression unreadable. “What’s it like, when it happens?”

“I don’t know how to describe it,” he said, closing his eyes to try and will the feeling to run up his arm. All the people he’d ever met with special abilities always seemed to know exactly what they were doing. That girl Annabel had talked about listening with her heart. He’d known psychics that said they ‘reached out’ with their minds. The fact he didn’t know how it worked was almost convincing him that it couldn’t actually be some kind of special ability. If it was, he’d know how it worked, instinctually.

Apparently giving up on him, Tentacool ducked out from under his hand, and Ash sighed. But he wasn’t given time to pull away before Mantyke popped up beneath him, butting its head into his palm. There was no rush of memory or jolt up his arm, but it was pretty obvious Mantyke wanted scratches behind its antennae, and he obliged with a laugh. But he’d barely started before Dewgong erupted out of the water and tried to shove Mantyke out of the way, demanding its own pats.

“Hey, easy! I can pet you both at the same time, you know!” Ash pointed out, extending his other hand to rub Dewgong’s head. “Though you know this isn’t exactly what I had in mind when I came in here…”

Dewgong ignored that, grinning at the attention, and Pikachu muttered something about Ash being a soft touch. It clambered up onto his shoulder, snuggling into the side of his neck, and suggested they give up on the move thing to instead snuggle for the rest of the night. He smiled but didn’t answer. As nice as it would be, it wouldn’t help.

“Pokemon really like you, huh?” Goh commented, shifting to hold up his chin with one hand. “It always ends up like this, with you in a pokemon pile.”

“I dunno if that’s true,” he said, glancing back at him. “Besides, you get the same, right? Like with the bug types!”

“I guess,” he said, glancing back over his shoulder. They were being watched by Stantler, Scyther, and a few others, but no one was coming close. Probably didn’t want to get in the way of the water-types. Pokemon could be really territorial sometimes. Goh sighed and came back to him. “You know, Chloe asked me once why pokemon like you so much, since all you want to do is battle with them.”

“That’s not all I want to do,” he objected, but had to quickly add, “But battling is so much fun! And really exciting! And it’s the best way to work together with pokemon. Right?” he added to Pikachu.

“Pika!” it agreed, while Dewgong and Mantyke made vague noises that Goh probably wouldn’t pick up as agreement. They weren’t often used for battle, after all.

“Besides, a lot of pokemon really like battling, and so they like that I can help them do it,” he explained. “But I get why that might seem strange to someone who doesn’t really know pokemon that well. We should really try to get Chloe to come out with us some time! I bet she’d really love hanging out with pokemon if she just tried it, you know?”

Goh grunted absently, his gaze drifting off again. “Maybe. I don’t know, I don’t think we should force it.”

“If you say so,” he said, and pulled back from the pokemon to instead clap his hand on his knees and shove himself upright. “I’m gonna keep going guys. Have a good night, okay?”

“Dewgoooong,” Dewgong whined, but Mantyke moved just far enough back to jump up in a farewell flip before diving under the water. Ash grinned and turned to the watching pokemon, already eyeing off Stantler. Maybe a pokemon that specialised in mind tricks would be easier.

Goh hesitated, letting Ash walk around behind him before he bothered to stand as well. “How do you know pokemon enjoy battling? Have they told you?”

“Um, yeah?” With Pikachu on his shoulder, he had to turn around to be able to frown at Goh. “All the time. Besides, you can just tell, can’t you?”

Goh gave him that look he had, like Ash had said something ridiculous and kind of funny. “Most people can’t tell what pokemon are thinking, Ash.”

“But they can tell when someone’s having fun, right?” he asked. “Like… I dunno, Scorbunny really gets into it when you have to battle a pokemon to catch it, right?”

“Scorbun!” Scorbunny enthused, and Goh blinked down at it, then grimaced and looked up again.

“Yeah, but that’s just because we’re getting really good at it. Our strategy is perfect. Of course you’re going to like something if you know you’re going to do it well,” he pointed out, and then added with a grin, “I mean, unless you’re like you, who goes nuts for the impossible.”

He chuckled and turned back to his current challenge. “Hey, Stantler? Would you mind helping me out?”

It tilted its head, then exchanged wary glances with Scyther before taking a step forward. Ash slowly extended his hand, trying to focus on how he’d felt with Liepard and the Shadowed Pokemon. A rush… a memory of life… If he just thought about it really hard, then maybe…

Stantler slowly blinked as he slid his hand between its antlers. There was no sudden rush or jolt, but Ash found himself matching Stantler’s slow blinks, and his body swayed against a weird falling sensation. His vision blurred, and in moments he was in a dark forest, crowded with trees and spirits despite the city built up around it.

These trees… His mother had always told him to protect the trees, because they protected the temple, and the temple protected everything. The phoenix of life and death lived within its walls. He knew that was true, but he’d never felt right in the woods. It never felt like _enough_. Maybe if he –

“Pikapika, Piika.”

He flinched, pulled back to reality by a soft tingle of static. He blinked at Stantler, who smiled back, silently asking if that had been right.

It took Ash a couple of seconds to figure out that he’d fallen into an illusion. Stantler had sensed what he was trying to do and did its best to help, by just showing him what he’d expected. He sighed. “That wasn’t really what I was going for, but thanks anyway.”

“What happened?” Goh asked as he and Scorbunny stepped up closer. “Did it work?”

“No, not yet,” he said, and turned to Scyther. “Mind giving it a go?”

They kept trying, slowly working their way through Goh’s pokemon. He almost felt like he got kind of close with Pinsir, feeling a tingle up his arm and a weird urge to hold someone’s hand. But it faded almost immediately, and he and Pinsir just ended up staring at each other blankly until Pinsir slowly tried to ask him something. He didn’t understand, but Pikachu laughed and said it was asking the wrong human.

With their exoskeletons, Bug-types shouldn’t have been able to blush. But that was definitely what Pinsir did as it flailed its arms and horns before dashing off into the bushes without another word.

“What was that all about?” asked Goh, and Ash shook his head.

“I have no idea.”

Still trailing along by Goh’d feet, Scorbunny sighed and shook its head, but it seemed to be the only one who really understood what had happened. But despite his lack of understanding, Ash grinned triumphantly. “I think I got something that time! I felt something!”

“What, really?” Goh frowned, craning his neck to try and see where Pinsir had gone. “You don’t think this might mean Pinsir’s been Shadowed or anything, do you?”

“No, it… I dunno, it…” His smile faded, and he lifted his hand to stare at his open palm. Wanting to hold someone’s hand… He closed his fist and reopened it a few times, remembering the ghostly sensation. Or… no. The _lack_ of sensation had been more important… It had been a kind of longing. Pinsir had wanted to feel claws within its own. “I think… Pinsir might be… lonely? But not like… not like it’s unhappy. Lonely’s the wrong word.”

Scorbunny muttered something under its breath, smirking, and Pikachu scoffed, rolling its eyes. Whatever Scorbunny had said, Pikachu obviously thought it was all a bit silly, so Ash wasn’t too worried yet.

“Do you think it’s okay?” asked Goh.

“Yeah… yeah, it’s fine, it just…” Something nagged in the back of his head, wondering how Serena and Misty were going. It was a weird thing to be thinking about right now.

But before he could really figure it out, another feeling swept over him, like the sound from a bell he couldn’t hear. He blinked, because it hadn’t felt like aura, or a weird memory thing, but it kind of talked to the same thing inside him. Some kind of… weird energy that he couldn’t explain, even when he wanted to. When it happened again, he turned around, trying to figure out where it was coming from.

It happened one more time, and he started moving back to the walkway, sure of where he was heading. He couldn’t see it from this angle, but it was definitely Golurk trying to get his attention from its place up on the hill.

“Where are we going now?” Goh asked, trotting along behind him, but Ash didn’t bother answering. It wasn’t a long trip.

When they got to it, Golurk didn’t seem any different than usual, though Damaritan was awake and seemed to be frowning up at its companion, while the other pokemon that normally clustered around it were gone. Ash tilted his head curiously, feeling Golurk’s attention focus in on him.

He’d never really talked to a golurk before. He’d met them, and battled them, but they’d never really seemed that interested in him and so he’d never really put a lot of time into understanding them, either. He knew they were artificial pokemon – created by humans a long time ago. Clemont had once talked about how they worked, but Ash hadn’t been able to pay close attention. Something about never-ending energy and techno-magic. They always felt a little strange to Ash.

“You gonna try it with Damaritan?” Goh suggested. “Careful you don’t burn yourself when you touch it.”

“Actually…” Ash hesitated, walking forward slowly. Why had Golurk called out to him? It didn’t seem to want anything. He felt weirdly nervous even lifting his hand toward it. It was just so… ancient. So old that he couldn’t really comprehend how long ago it must have been made. And it normally ignored everyone in the garden, so why would it –

His hand hadn’t even touched the cold porcelain of its arm when a bell tolled just past his hearing.

It was louder the next time. Life flared. A man in white robes laughed triumphantly and spread his arms in welcome. The woman in blue walked away. It wasn’t personal. Later, she explained that she didn’t like life being created. Not for labour. Not for soldiers’ work. Life was to be lived. Didn’t Golurk want to live? What did Golurk want?

What _did_ Golurk want?

 _Did_ Golurk want?

Need, she offered instead, like it didn’t understand. What would help? What would make Golurk whole?

It was the wrong question.

What did the woman in blue want?

She ran away from Golurk. She never came close again.

The boy in blue grinned. He fought. He reached out. What did his dragon want? What did the boy in grey want? What did the man in white want? So many people with so many wants.

The woman in blue had asked. The woman in blue had not wanted to be asked.

The boy in blue was asking everyone.

What did the boy in blue want?

Ash jerked back so violently that he overbalanced, and Pikachu yelped, leaping clear to avoid the inevitable fall. But Ash was still stuck halfway into Golurk’s vision and wasn’t able to save himself, tumbling back onto the grass and then down the hill, head over heels until he crashed into the bushes down near the river.

“Ash!” Goh yelled. “Ash, are you alright? What happened? Ash!”

The boy in blue gulped down air, his hands scrabbling at the rocks and branches around him as he tried to separate himself from Golurk’s… whatever that had been. Memory? Thought? He gripped a branch and it snapped off in his hand, upsetting his balance again.

Blue and white and red symbols, golden trims. Golems learn in silence. Golems _know_.

He clenched his eyes shut, shoving the thoughts back. Names. Names and people. He was Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town. He wanted to be the world’s greatest Pokemon Master.

“Pikapi!”

A large, scaly hand gripped his shirt-front and he was yanked up out of the leaves and into a warm chest. Strength and love washed over him, crowding out the visions of dirty temples and white robes. He leaned into it, resting his head against Dragonite’s chest. “Hey there… Dragonite. Where’d you come from?”

It rumbled back, and he vaguely understood something about sleeping under the trees, but it probably didn’t matter. Surrounded by Dragonite’s loving arms, it was easier to remember that white robes were different to lab coats, and he wore blue because his mother made most of his clothes and thought he looked good in the colour. That didn’t need to mean anything.

He pulled back and looked up at Dragonite, who smiled back. He was okay.

He felt scrabbling up his leg and turned to grin reassuringly at Pikachu as it crested his shoulder. “Hey, buddy. Sorry ’bout that.”

“Pikapika?”

“Yeah, I’m okay.”

“Are you?” Goh asked as he and Scorbunny hurried down the hill to join them. “What happened? It was like you just fell over!”

“Uh… I was just surprised,” he explained. “Golurk was showing me something and it was kinda… big.”

“Big? What do you mean it showed you something?” he demanded. “You didn’t even touch it!”

“Yeah, I know, I just… I um… I dunno,” he said, and pushed out of Dragonite’s arms so he could rub the back of his neck. “I uh… think it was maybe Astonish or something?”

“Golurk _attacked_ you?”

“No! No, it uh –” Maybe it had. He didn’t know, he’d never been hit by an Astonish before. But it hadn’t felt like an attack. He was pretty sure that Golurk, like Stantler, had been trying to help in its own way. It had been trying to tell him something. He looked up at the huge pokemon, still sitting silently and unmoving on the hill above. It had quietened, no longer sending out those weird waves, but he knew it was still paying attention.

That memory… sensation… whatever… that hadn’t been like what he saw with the other pokemon. Or even like with Pinsir. It was more like… Golurk had been showing him something it thought was important.

The woman in blue… The colour hadn’t just been important because Golurk didn’t know faces. It mattered, somehow. Just like the white robes, and Professor Cerise’s labcoat, somehow mattered. Golems like Golurk thought in symbols.

The woman in blue had been trying to help Golurk. She’d wanted to know what would make it happier. No… what it _needed_. But she was trying to find out without words.

It was almost like… like when he reached out to the Shadowed Pokemon. All he was ever thinking about when he did it was –

He gasped, shoving away from Dragonite to sprint back up the hill. “She was like me! She was doing the same thing I can do! She was trying to figure out how she could help you! Right?”

Golurk was impassive.

“But it didn’t work on you because you didn’t need anything! You didn’t want help! Just like all Goh’s pokemon don’t need help either! They’ve got what they need. That’s why I can’t do it normally, because it only works when a pokemon really, really needs help! Right?”

Still, Golurk didn’t even shift, but Damaritan did, turning away from the scene with an annoyed grumble and settling back down. Pikachu frowned at it, then Golurk, and then leaned in close to check in with Ash. “Pikapi? Pi-ka chu pika?”

“Yeah, I think I get it now,” he said, and stepped back with a broad smile. “Thanks, Golurk.”

There was a very slight shift in the air, and a pressure Ash hadn’t really noticed faded. Golurk’s glowing symbols dulled, and Ash knew it had settled down into sleep. He turned back to Goh, Scorbunny, and Dragonite, nearly bouncing in excitement. “I get it now. The memory thing,” he said. “It’s not a memory thing at all, it’s just the easiest way to do it! And I know why it didn’t work properly on Liepard, too! I’ll be able to do way better next time.”

“What are you talking about?” Goh asked, staring at him. “Ash, what’s going on? What happened between you and Golurk?”

“It doesn’t matter,” he said. “Liepard needed help, but it didn’t know what it needed, because it’s always been told it doesn’t need anything! But it still wants more! That’s why it didn’t work properly!”

“What?”

“We’ve gotta find Mahjong again,” he said firmly. “I’ve gotta at least talk to her about Liepard. And about her other pokemon too. No way anyone purposefully trains their pokemon to not know what happiness is. We’ve gotta help her.”

With something resembling an answer and a clear way forward, Ash hurried down the hill and back to the path, determined to get a good night’s sleep so he could be ready the next time he saw Mahjong. Pikachu didn’t comment beyond a fond shake of its head, always ready to support him even when it didn’t understand.

But Goh, flanked by his pokemon and Dragonite, stayed in the park, just watching him go.

“Ash, you really don’t make any sense…”


End file.
